Cece and the Hissing Swan!!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, Cece is back to her early morning rides!    She arrived along the bosque at 6:15 am with her bike and her gear.  She pulled into the Open Space and was immediately stopped behind a car.  She looked and saw a man who was unlocking a gate.  She has been to this spot many times, but as early as she has been here, she has not seen a locked gate that would prevent entrance.  She rolled down her window and asked the man about the gate and what time generally it would be unlocked each day.  Actually he was early this morning.  He usually unlocks at 6:45!  He explained that kids had been partying there at night so they lock the gate to keep the party cars out.
The Alameda Open Space is  under renovation.  They did the trail now they are working on parking.  The bull dozers are out and they are flattening the earth.  Cece hopes that they will make a huge parking lot. Currently only about 1/3 of the people that used to park there can park there now.

In the meantime, they have moved the porta pottys to along the trail and now they are slanted down hill.  Cece feels that she has to hold on for dear life when she is in there…especially in slippery cleats…..but she remembers how much worse it was in a porta potty in Moab during the Century tour when one was precariously perched on a hill overlooking the river and when you shifted, so too did the porta potty…so in the long run, she is very thankful for just a down hill slant!  Ahhhh! The things we have to worry about!

Anyway,off Cece went along her beloved bosque trail.  She smelled the freshness of the earth and the wildflowers along the way, she greeted many animals…was blessed by a road runner .and she stopped to take in the beauty of water in the desert at Tingley Beach.  As she walked her bicycle and herself in, she saw many geese and swans.  A very large swan was right near her. As she walked by, Cece said “Good Morning Miss Swan…you are so pretty!”  Well, Cece had no idea that swans were mean!  This huge swan opened its big mouth and she saw tongue!  Not only that. but that tongue hissed at her!  Not only that, but the swan lunged at her….Cece was being nice….she was cordial….she was friendly…..Who knew that swans hiss?  She was very intimidated by this sudden behavior.  In retrospect and having searched about hissing swans, Cece realizes that this is very common when they feel threatened….maybe it was the wheels!
Here is a You Tube, you might enjoy about swans that hiss.

She thinks she is traumatized for life!
Even given the hissing swans, Cece had a wonderful ride in the great outdoors!