I got in a nice 46 miles this afternoon. The 3 hours I spent on the bike were heaven and h*ll. My legs did not want to pump the first 20 miles or so and I almost turned around and headed home. I also have a bad case of poison ivy on my neck, chin and face and the straps on my helmet were rubbing and I was at times very uncomfortable. However, I found a Clif bar in my bag, downed it and decided to finish the route (I was riding a route I had put together on paper for a club ride I'm hosting next week). I'm glad I finished the ride for I finally found my rhythm and had a great second half. I saw some quail, a doe and a beautiful orange bird (I think it was a Baltimore Oriole but I have to look it up in my bird book this evening). The weather is great here, mid 70's, low humidity, slight breeze. Time for dinner and some quiet time on the couch with my cross stitch and my cats/kittens.