Tuesday July 29 Rides

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm on vacation, so I guess I get to start again

Heat index today is expected to top 105 degrees, so I left right after sunrise. I tried a lot of new roads and it was awesome!

It was a cool 68 degrees. In the first five miles, the fog hovering over the corn fields provided a surreal dream-like feeling. The sun was full on my back, but the fog gave a coolness that bathed and relaxed me...my glasses and rearview mirror fogged...20mph...no problem.

The corn and soybean fields remain lush green. The corn is about 8 feet tall and at places, it's like going through a tight little tunnel.

After the corn and soybeans, there's a national wildlife refuge that is reclaimed coal mines. At that time of day, the shadows are long and the abundance of avian life is colorful - varieties like bluebirds, yellow breasted brush finch, heron, orange wings. The old stripper pits are covered with lush green lillies.

Today was a beautiful ride.

I came to an area of active coal mining that was mildly unpleasant because of the coal trucks...dusty, dirty, noisy...but this was just few miles before I was back in pastoral farmland where one field had a small herd of deer - the stag a 12 pointer!...quiet except for the sound of the birds chirping.

Wow! This was a great and relaxed ride followed by a stop at Starbucks for an Orange Mango Banana smoothie...250 calories, 16 grams of protein!

Today, I did 45 miles, 17.1mph, rarely did my heart rate get about 130, so I'm not whipped right now!

I might do this route again...next time with a camera!