Labor Day Weekend Rides

[lauraelmore1033]

we just did an easy 20 miler on the Samammish river trail on the tandem. I'm breaking in a new brooks style saddle before we go on our Adventure Cycling Tour in California this month, so it was a stop and go, tweaky kind of ride. LOTS of families out on the trail, which was not a surprise on a holiday weekend. Parents doing a good job teaching trail etiquette (for the most part) was an amazingly pleasant surprise. Gave many a thumbs up and "lookin' awesome" encouragements as we passed the orderly family formations along the way.

[Irulan]

just another mountain bike ride....

We did another backcountry ride. This one is a high ridge trail, with the options to do two short hikes to the tops of two peaks. Weather was fabulous, company was great, I had a great day on the trail.

me and my buddy, top of Clifty Peak, 6705








Getting fired up for our 4.5 mile, 3500 ft loss descent to meet the shuttle.

[Catrin]

There is no "just another mtb ride", it looks like you had a great time! The trail is beautiful, though I think that exposure on the in the second picture would have had me walking Amazing the difference that trees make!

[lauraelmore1033]

Beautiful ride! You must have nerves of steel.

[murielalex]

That's some beautiful country to ride in. I'm jealous.

Becky, congrats on your first century.

As for me, I managed to do 231 miles this weekend in Sebring. I don't plan on doing that any time again soon, but kinda wanted to push myself, just to find out if I could. Had a wonderful time riding in the country with the cows and horses, as opposed to the ocean and traffic I usually ride in. I met some wonderful cyclists (there were over 500 there), ate good food, and had a ball. My legs are stiff, but that's about the only damage, so I'm gonna call it good. I do, however, really really really suck at hills, even Florida hills. Bah.

[TrekDianna]

I did an easy 32 mile on the road bike today. There was about 2700 elevation gain, but I am taking it slow this week in prep for Cycle Oregon. I hiked 10 miles yesterday to the top of Marys Peak and back down so that gave me some incentive to take it slow today.

[Geonz]

I agree -- there's no "just another" MTB ride I got in 99.7 miles today on our annual Perrysville, Indiana ride. We have a 50 and 63 mile route, but it starts 48 miles from home so... I rode to the ride. So did some of the fast folks including our Maarten and Jay who dude! placed THIRD in the team-of-two competition at RAAM! (and without the RVs that the first two placers had; it was these two guys and a car, so when one turned over the bike the other woudl find a motel, sleep a few horus, then chase down the other and swap out again). ( http://www.news-gazette.com/blogs/st...aam-tough.html YES our local rag has CHEESY headlines!)
Me, I rode out at my pace -- well, and caught myself trying to do 18 and backed off to 15-16 because this was the longest ride I've done all year. I decided a month ago to go ahead and replace my Garmin and try to get back to doing Lots of Long Miles == but having a Garmin isn't, um, the same as riding ... had one and a half "dog incidences" along the way. In Grape Creek, my first trip I'd been warned about murderers and packs of wild feral dogs... and had had a woeful nursing dog appear by my side, begging and nuzzling... I'd obliged. Welp, at that turn I remembered her... and ... what should appear but a young, beautiful dog ... who managed to keep me company for at *least* 8 miles. I tried to outrun it... 18 mph was just making it grin wider. (It was truly beautiful. I mean, when you see a race horse running it's beautiful but the joy is tempered by the knowledge that there are nasty human machinations involved. This was just a young dog RUNNING... and it wasn't feral; it was collared and healthy. Yea, it shouldn't have been out there on the loose but it was BEAUTIFUL to watch)... and it just may have kept me from having a second Dog INcident because just before the Indiana State Line I'm riding by a house and I hear "NO!!! DONUT!!! COME BAAACK!" in that special voice of an owner who has NO control over a dog, and SOMETHIGN told me that Donut would not have Peanut's skill at keeping out of harm's way.
Of course, Peanut was *much* more interesting to Donut than me... and I reckon DOnut more interesting to Peanut... *and* Peanut would at least be encountering humans, not be 8 miles from home (soemething tells me Peanut would find its wayback...)
Yea, I have to wonder if Peanut wasn't borne of that litter of the nuzzling mom...