Shortly afterwards, I was zipping along our arterial route. I saw something for virtually the first time. Even though I must have seen it "a million times" before.
I saw another rider following me closely. When I stopped, she stopped. Like a shadow. She stayed at the edge of my vision - first on one side, then the other. Finally I surprised her by slamming on the brakes. She went ahead, and I snapped a picture. It was my wife! Riding like this seemed very strange, because we haven't ridden our single bikes together for at least 10 years. We always take the tandem.
This succulent garden drew our attention. If you look closely in the middle [click any image to enlarge it, then return to come back), you might see a red snake sunning itself on the rock. It was definitely a snake. We left quickly, rode for a few more minutes, then went home.
PS - it was a rubber snake. Would you like to see a real rattlesnake that snuck into my office?