A Solo Fall Ride

This past week did not present many opportunities for a ride.  I didn't even find a good morning to commute by bike.  Friday I took a vacation day and headed down to Dayton to help at my brother's recently purchased house.  Dad and I worked on installing new kitchen cabinets Friday and Saturday.

Sometimes it's harder for me to get motivated for a ride after having not ridden in a week, especially when headed out solo.  I find the best approach is to get out bike, clothes, and gear without thinking about it too much and try to get to the end of the driveway before inventing a reason not to ride.  By the end of the street, I'm always excited to ride.

Thanks to the wind, I headed north through Overton Valley before climbing Smithville-Western to the west.  That's always a good climb and did a fine job of warming me up on a windy 54 degree day.  I rode over to New Pittsburg and through Reedsburg before heading home.

Stopped along the side of the road for a couple pictures.

The fall colors are starting to get serious, which made for a nice combination with the big clouds throughout the bright, blue sky.  I enjoyed the ride and hope to not go another week without getting on the bike.  The weather forecast is showing a warmup this week, 65 for the high on Thursday, with overnight lows in the mid 40s.  It's looking good for an OCC night ride on Wednesday night!

Looking west into Ashland County, near Reedsburg.