May 11 Rides

[Fredwina]

I DID IT!!!

I climbed my hill today!.... Eventually, I got to the top, took pictures (see the riding in the hood thread)
Karen in Boise

Yeah! I was also inspired by Pooks, and a did a a 23-mile Vuelta a' Barrio. Still need to upload my pics

[Kano]

Okay, now it's evening, and I've just returned from the "Drag DH Out For a Ride" excursion! This trip, I got my old comfort-beast out, and boy is that different! I suggested a circle we did early last year, along the canal road that runs behind us. It's a fun, short ride, but dirt, rocks, and goat-heads, so no place for my Roubaix!

We had to deal with geese -- moms, dads and babies. The adults stuck their tongues out at us, hissed and flapped a lot, and one even got airborn at DH. I don't know if he stuck his tongue out back or what, but the bugger backed down instead of pecking at Earl -- which prompted stories of how guys get attacked at work! Then we saw the rock chucks! They're fun. Must be like a hundred of them will go out in the field and when one gets shook up, you see all these pelts, glistening in the sun, as they go running for the rock piles alongside the banks of the canal! I don't know why, but people seem to like to shoot them -- and I don't mean with their cameras! If you google "rock chuck" you get a couple of links to guys who are telling hunting stories, but you can also search for "yellow bellied marmot" and get real information about them. This link at the Utah zoo has some pretty decent pictures: http://hoglezoo.org/animals/view.php?id=105

So back to riding -- my comfort-beast sure is a different ride than my road bike! Not bad, but very different. EXCEPT: platform pedals. I HATE platform pedals! DH said he hadn't noticed it until I said something, but FIRST thing I did "wrong" was to try to clip in on the right and pull that pedal up to take off. No go. Next thing I did "wrong" was to try to utilize the upstroke -- feet just leave the pedals. So, I'm riding along, hollering AAARGH! and DH is like, "What's wrong?" and so I told him. He laughed at me, and I said, so, what, you don't use the pedals that way? When we got to the canal road, where the riding is slow and easy, and we could chat, he said he hadn't realized just how much he DOES use them until I said that -- I knew I used them, but didn't know that I do, if that makes sense!

Fun ride! We'll have to do that one some more! (I wish I'd had the camera out and ready when that goose went after DH!)

[teigyr]

Kano - congrats!!! Sounds like you had a perfect day and conquering the hill is a milestone!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Kano- great!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember my own "Hill" that i tried so hard to conquer last year- the same feeling when I finally DID IT.
Good job!!!!

[Kano]

Thanks Teigyr! And Lisa too! It IS a milestone -- and a surprising one at that! I go out and practice it at least once a week, and always have to stop and rest, and I did the same thing the first time up, but had this silly idea to try it again (maybe cuz DH wasn't around, heading back to the barn as fast as he could?) and really didn't expect to do it, thinking I'd pooped myself out.

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Picked this one cuz I think it's a pretty good hill for learning to not hate hills, and hasn't got the problem of traffic, so I can ride just about any time without being too concerned about having to hold my line, or whatever.

I don't know if I'll ever feel like a mountain goat, happily climbing hills, but I'm learning!

Karen in Boise