Seize The Moment Squirrel

Don't come around here no more

Don't come around here no more

Whatever you're looking for

Hey! Don't come around here no more

Don't Come Around Here No More, Tom Petty & Dave A. Stewart (1985).

What's left of my water bottle and lid.

With my Jones bike still pretty well loaded from last weekend's Black Hills Bike Hub Overnighter Series group ride, I hop on it for a morning spin around town. As is becoming a habit, I stop at a park to make coffee and breakfast. And to just watch the world wake up. It's a nice start to the day, much like my early morning commutes in the past, but without actually going into work.

In addition to coffee, oatmeal, and various bars, I often carry a water bottle filled with trail mix in the Mountain Feed Bag attached to the handle bars. Mess-free, on-the-fly access. Always right there.

I eventually ride home and absent-mindedly lean my bike against a mature linden tree in our front yard. Three hours later, I glance outside to see a squirrel excitedly dancing on top of my bike. Oh, no! There's food in that top tube bag! He better not be eating through that spendy bag!

Dashing out there, I find the bag undamaged, but the water bottle with trail mix is eaten. Yes, the bottle. Large chunks of both the water bottle and lid are gone, and only a handful of trail mix remains. Tiny, squirrel bite-sized pieces of clear and orange plastic lie scattered like confetti. 

Squirrel's view of the loaded bike leaning against her tree.

In all my nights of bikepacking, I've only lost food to critters once. On Day 6 of my Cloud Peak 500 Wyoming in 2020, I mistakenly left my bike laying on the ground overnight with some food in that top tube bag. A critter, presumably a ground rodent of some kind, enjoyed a sample of every bit of food therein. But that's it. And I've never lost food when leaning a bike upright.

Lesson learned, at the price of a vintage water bottle. Secure food. Protect gear.

Don't Come Around Here No More, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers live, with Stevie Nicks (2009).