I had a great ride this morning. I rode with bikerz, as she mentioned. This morning started off with a bit of a rocky start, as a big, nasty spider had moved into my car. That was a bit of a surprise. I drove around trying to find a gas station with a vacuum cleaner to no avail. Fortunately, Ann's Wildlife Removal Service came to my rescue after the ride, and the spider now has a new home.

There was a lot of climbing today, but some very peaceful descents. Descending is where I really lack confidence, so I was really focusing on downhill technique and not crashing. It was pretty toasty out already, and I really appreciated the shady descents. Nice and cool!

There were lots of cyclists out on this route, and I got into a few, panting conversations. I even learned how to order pizza in Japanese! Now that's a successful ride.