Roctober Rides

[Raindrop]

The weather has been unseasonably warm so I'm making the best of it. I have a few routes that I like to ride on and was pleasantly surprised to find that the main road (very busy city street) I use to get out of town had actually been swept by the street sweeper. It was the cleanest I've ever experienced with no glass, gravel and the various stages of road kill were all gone. It made for a very pleasant beginning to my 30 mile loop.

[marni]

today was a wet and windy 45 miles with the infamous Cochate road outside of Sealy- 17 hills or rollers that you neeed to peddle up in 5.8 miles and just to prove we could do it we did it in both directions. about half the ride was against a steady 15 mph hour wind and the whole ride was enlightened with frequent " cow pissing on a flat river rock" type down pours of anyting from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. I consider having survived it a victory because it has been 6 months since I have done any climbing or had to deal with quite this much wind. The rain was just an added surprise.

However that makes 100 miles for the week so I can't complain.

[AppleTree]

The bridge pictures were just stunning...wow!

A couple of interesting rides this week. A few days ago, just on the way home from the grocery store, saw a coyote trotting along near my neighborhood. Just looked like he was on a mission, glanced over at me and kept going. A few people out walking were a little freaked out, I guess I would have been too. Somehow felt safe on the bike anyway, I don't know if I WAS safe, but I wasn't too worried about him.

Yesterday did about 20 miles along the Interurban, and found someone's credit cards laying on the trail! At first I rode by them thinking it was just trash, but something made me stop and turn around and have a second look... This is the 2nd time I've rescued credit cards laying on the ground in the last few years. No wallet or anything, just a couple of debit cards (for the same person) and a McDonalds gift certificate. I decided I should drop them off at the bank on my way home, about 4-5 miles out of my way, only to discover when I got there they were closed for Columbus Day... rats. Took them by the bank this morning though. Other than that it was a terrific morning ride before our rain and wind storm hit later that day. The light was beautiful with the storm clouds just hanging out to the north.

[Helene2013]

We were in the Burlington, VT for our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. Rode 2 days. A cold and cloudy Saturday and warm, sunny but windy Sunday. Took roads and bike paths and drivers are so courteous on the roads we cycled. Very different than Montreal area for sure. We'll have to go back. No pictures taken but scenery was spectaculor as usual at this time of the year.

Our campings are already booked for 2015 season.

We now only bike on weekends as it is dark too early and I have dogs to take care of when we get home from work. That and some outdoor chores we try to do during that little light we have left.

[azfiddle]

I have been super lazy about posting- have ridden over 300 miles this month but nothing longer than about 45 miles. I'm supposed to ride a century Sunday.... not sure if I will stick with the century distance or do the 71. I did a couple of 60+ mile rides in September and then had a cranky IT band and hip for a few weeks. Trying to get ready for El Tour de Tucson in November.

[emily_in_nc]

I too have been riding but not posting. We've been traveling from the NW to the SE and stopping to ride in many places along the way. I'm behind on the blog (we're now in Mississippi and blog is still back in the west), but here are some of the rides I have had time to blog:

Crater Lake NP (only my DH rode this one, I drove it): http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...y-bike-and-car

Northern California Redwoods: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...g-the-redwoods

Redding, California: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...ing-california

Reno, Nevada: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...-reno-and-elko

Salt Lake City (various bike trails and "Cycle the City" downtown: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...lake-city-utah

~~ Emily

[ny biker]

I've been to Elko. My sister lives there. Lamoille Canyon is nearby, and it's a nice place for a hike.

Did you take I-80 to SLC? It's quite a drive. There's a 50-mile stretch that is completely straight, and the salt flats are like another planet. And at the state line, the difference between Wendover, NV and Wendover, UT is striking.