First - Chatnoire, I hope you heal quickly! I love seeing kids on bikes but they do make me wary - I know how unpredictable my own kid is when we're riding together, he has almost taken me out once or twice!

This weekend was my longest ride of the year so far - 55 miles! There was an unexpected detour (a road on the map turned out to be un-bike-able gravel so I had to go 10 miles around!) that took me through some beautiful country. I was a little nervous, though, because my husband and kids were meeting me at a campground that has no cell service, so I couldn't tell him I had the detour. We had set an estimated-time-of-arrival for me, and also an estimated-time-that-you-should-start-worrying-and-come-look-for-me, and I didn't know if I could make it around the detour and back to my planned route by the time he might come looking for me. So, I was trying to ride pretty fast.

Not too many cars passed me on the country road, but one of them had some punk in it who yelled at me and really startled me. It got into my head and I got a bit weirded-out about being off on a little country road, with no one knowing EXACTLY where I was, and then there are lots of loud barking dogs, and aggressive anti-bike people all around (yep, in my head, I know...).

I was telling myself how ridiculous I was being and starting to calm down when I could see up ahead a truck that had pulled off the road, and next to it was a really BIG dog. I figured the dog would be under the control of the people with the truck, so I didn't get too worried about that, but I was a little nervous about the people - were they going to yell at me like that other meanie had? As I pass them, it's a group of youngish (teenage? early 20's?) men. One of them yells, "Hey, you're making good time!" and another one yells "Right on!" Turns out this truck had passed me a while back. They smiled and waved and I smiled back, feeling like all was right with the world again, cycling in the country is awesome, and yes, people are generally decent and kind.

And the dog didn't even look at me.