Saturday, 10/3 Rides

:pOkay, I'll start since I'm still awake after a fun day of riding around Portland.

Left at 10:30am to do errands around town: start in SE, go to NE, then down to another area in SE, then cruise along downtown's waterfront, then home. Total trip about 20mi. Nice day, cool, cloudy early, with the sun breaking out just before I returned home.

Then left again, to deliver a left behind item to my son, who is at the ex's this weekend. About a 9 mile round trip. Legs starting to feel a full day's riding around ... up and down.

Total miles about 29 mi.; great weather day; fun to be out and about on the bike.

Hope yours was a great day of riding.:D

I invited my husband to join me on a ride to the historic and beautiful San Xavier Mission, southwest of Tucson. It was 43.5 miles, my longest ride to date (in recent times). It was relatively flat, though tending downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back. It was not a speedy ride- we meandered around the historic barrio neighborhood in Tucson, took pictures, shared a red chile burro and rested at the Mission.

I used the city bike route map to plan the route, but discovered that not all posted bike routes are equivalent. We agreed we would definitely not want to revisit one section that was very bumpy, in a residential neighborhood with lots of traffic circles with stop signs.

It was very pleasant weather the whole time- low 60's at the start and mid-70's at the end- nice change from the 90's last week- and the first time I've had to wear anything over a sleeveless or short-sleeved jersey.

This morning I biked to rehearsal (our gospel choir is traveling to DC to perform on Oct 7 and 8 yay), sang and danced (yeah, we dance while we practice) for a few hours, rode to RFD for some takeout -- amazing seitan and seaweed smothered in a peanut sauce, then rode to the cliffs overlooking the beach to eat.

Then I rode back to rehearsal to talk to my choir director, became her personal bike messenger after singing the praises of RFD's seitan and seaweed, got her good and fed. I rode to the LBS, got minor fixes and supplies (there needs to be more stores where you can bring in your bike... my wallet would be much emptier). Then I biked down the beach path, to the pier, dropped a lot of the cruisers and felt "fast", biked around main street for some super speedy window shopping, and finally, reluctantly, went home. Where mounds of laundry awaited.

It's like I was finding excuses to ride back and forth across town all day today :) so great.

Pfunk12 got me into the "N2 Late" ride. A couple of Post-Crash Misfits (;)) who choose to do the popular N2 route, departing 15 minutes or so later than the regular group. It does the same route, contains great company, but is much less crowded. No harrowing decents at speed in a crowd. :eek:
So that's what I did today.
40 miles of perfect autumn weather.

Post-Crash Misfits? I love it! Proud to be a part of that group :D! See you tomorrow morning.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 7rider

Pfunk12 got me into the "N2 Late" ride. A couple of Post-Crash Misfits (;))

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I wasn't sure how much it would take to fir my recumbent in my new (to me ) car, so I drive to the club ride.
I did a couple of loops of the heritage subdivision. This caught my eye:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/Ss...0/100_1171.jpg
I talked with Jiffer before the ride about how weel I can do hills on my bent:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/Ss...0/100_1172.jpg
I did the "medium" ride. about as much climbing and distance as the long, but less severe grades. The medium also skips the final climbs, but I decided to do it! It was ok. I out foxed my nemesis, The light at wilson (I have yet to master the start from a dead stop on a 8% grade), I was little wobbly, which was a concern as the road narrowed, and there a dedication for a new park being held at the top of the steet yesterday (lot more traffic). I thought I could cut across to Eitwanda, but no (ok, where did the drainange ditch come from?) I cam down the hill, had a smoothie, did 10 more miles and called it a day:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/Ss...0/100_1173.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vuerRrNlUQI/Ss...0/100_1174.jpg

My Saturday ride was one mile downhill to the grocery store, then one mile uphill from the grocery store, with groceries. :)

Was approaching my street and noticed a car just sitting there at the T intersection not doing anything. Gradually dawned on me that the car looked familiar, and then it dawned on me that the driver looked familiar. It was my soon-to-be-ex-husband, whom I hadn't seen since .... oh, May, I suppose, or the very beginning of June. He had driven over to pick something up, something I hadn't put outside yet, he having missed the part of our phone conversation in which I'd said, "I'll call you when the [thing] is outside." The encounter was a little weird, mostly, I think, because it was so unexpected.

I like fetching groceries by bike! Now I have to get the nerve to ride my bike to Target and the pet store. The ride is a little daunting, what with traffic, but not nearly so daunting as the prospect of leaving my bike outside Target -- that's the scary part!