Sheila, you're right to take it slow in that kind of heat and humidity. You'll get there, though. That, and fall is just around the corner, right?

Had a big day, today. I broke 20 miles of pavement in a single ride for the first time since my accident. Did 21.4 miles, to be exact and did it on the Gunnar single speed, to boot. Even included two of what I call my "killer leg burner hills" to make it challenging. My average speed was pathetic, but this was more about being able to go the distance than performance. Real confidence booster for me. Much needed.

My neck did okay. A bit stiff and just a twinge or soreness towards the end, but doable. One thing that helped was tweaking both single speeds, this week, to put me in a more upright riding position for riding on pavement. Just a matter of going to shorter stems, adjusting seat and handlebar positions. Have also noticed how sitting more upright allows me to turn my neck much easier and that's a big plus for safety. Really liking these single speed MTBs with their 2.25" wide tires as my road road bikes. Very practical in my area for that use. We get a lot of sand and gravel washing over our roads when it rains and the wide tires are a plus for safety. Also noticed some recent logging activity along the route, this morning, so the wider tires also let me bail out and ride the shoulder when I hear a log truck coming up from behind. And, of course, standard MTBs like these make great gravel road bikes and I love riding gravel.

Been a good couple of days for wildlife spotting, too. Came around a curve and surprised two hen turkey and their young ones, yesterday. Today, stopped and helped two small turtles cross the road. Lots of deer, as always.