Clouded Sunset

Came home from work and headed to chase a sunset.  Well, not really chase as I was riding east towards Moreland hill.  I figured that would be a good destination to reach as the sun was going down and maybe get another good sunset picture from this point of high ground.

This time my headlight battery was fully charged and ready to go, unlike the night ride I did a couple weeks ago where it was flashing low battery before I reached the end of the driveway.  That one was not good planning.  Ready to go this time.

 Got pumpkin?

I made it to Moreland hill knowing the sky was not setting up for a good sunset.  Atop the hill I pulled over and looked west to see mostly clouds.  Oh well, it was good motivation to get me here.  I turned south and came back via Graber Rd, switching on my light about halfway home.  It was a nice, quiet ride back home.

Amish buggy heading west under a setting sun.

Flooded Flickinger

Went out for a little ride and headed towards Flickinger Hill.  I found the road covered by water but pedaled through anyhow.  Did my climb up Flickinger one way, rolled down the other side, and then turned around to climb again.  A second time through the water then headed back home.  Good times.

 Maybe ankle deep.  The bike didn't mind.

It would make a nice grocery getter.

Sun Going Down

 Getting in a ride before sunset.

It's getting low in the sky.

Early Morning Ride

This morning I fired up some ambition and headed out for a ride before church.  It was humid and sticky first thing in the morning, but I enjoyed being out early.

Smyser Road, heading up.

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

How long has it been since I've ridden a road bike?  I know it took multiple pumps to get the tires up to pressure, meaning it's been several weeks.  This afternoon was a superb time to give the Litespeed some playing time.  Sunny and 60 degrees, perfect.

I road over to Silver Road and pedaled up to Mechanicsburg Road.  It was not the first time I stopped by the pond to take a picture of a nice sky to the east.

Clouds and sky abound.

On my way to Flickinger hill I spotted the bicycle road sign near the new park and paved trail that spits out onto Mechanicsburg.

One is about to pass by.

Having never checked out the new path, I spun a lap to say I did.

No potholes, that's for sure.

Another evidence that it's been a while since I've ridden on the road: several weeks ago I bought a new pair of fingerless gloves... this was their first use.  I was tired of my red turned pink gloves that have been in service the past several years.  I figure the worst these will do is fade to gray and that's okay.

Black replaces pink.

Grey Shorty Ride

The past several days of rain have been badly needed.  Today the skies were grey and overcast but no rain, and it was about 15 degrees cooler today.  I headed out for a short ride after dinner.

Looking down into town.

On the way out the driveway and down the street I actually felt chilled for few moments.  I guess low 80's are a slight shock to the system after 90's and heavy humidity.  It felt good.

Praise the creator for His creation

we get to pedal through.

The Tour de France has been going full force the past couple weeks.  Last weekend, a week late but better late than never, we upgraded out cable package in order to watch the Tour.  A DVR was also part of the deal and makes it easier to catch each stage.

Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky have the yellow jersey locked up now.  After just watching those guys in the high mountains of the Pyrenees it was nice to get out on the road and stand in the pedals a little bit.

"Bike lane" on the uphill.

The traffic was virtually non-existent.  It seemed strange to me for a Friday night.  I took the opportunity to ride the hill up Lincolnway to SR250.  It's not so fun when there are cars whizzing by but today I was only passed a couple times.  It's two lanes going up and one lane coming down, so the cars passing me have a lane to do it in.  Not a long hill, but fun to ride up chasing KOM points.

A Bike in the Kitchen

A bike in the kitchen's a sign,

a sign of a coming good time,

 the bottles are full and I'm ready to roll,

so let's head out on a ride!

To the Parade and Back

Sunday was a true day of rest after the roofing project.  I lost 8 pounds in the last couple days, certainly all from sweat.  Thankfully today is Memorial Day and a day off work.

So... there's a little race called the Mohican 100 coming up.  Am I going to do it for the fist time this year?  I think so but I have not registered yet,  Thursday is my deadline.

With the roofing project behind me, I headed out

for a little road ride.

The event of the day is the Memorial Day parade in Shreve.  We have taken Daniel to this parade the past several years and this year would be Ellen's first.  I decided to ride down to Shreve and meet the family for the parade.

Onward... to the Mohican 100?

With my chosen route it took me a little over and hour to get to Shreve.  I found everyone and took up a nice shaded spot along Main Street.  It was the start to another hot and humid day but the crowd was still out for the parade.

Front row seats.

After the parade I took another one hour route to get back home.  It felt good to be pedaling after all the bending over and roof walking.

North and Back

With wind coming from the NNW I aimed myself at the Overton Valley.  I made the right decision turning back to the house before reaching the end of the road, arm and knee warmers were needed.  The skies were clear but it was 59 and a bit windy when I left.

I had to stop and take this picture for Daniel.

"A grader!" he said when I showed it to him.

Several times I made the decision to ride further north before choosing a couple lefts and turning south.  I road 539 for a long time with the wind at my back and the smooth pavement carrying me along.  Second largest cog, down in the drops, I felt like I was flying.

A mile around the corner from home.

Just before sunset I was back home and hungry.   A fine after work ride.

Rolling Nowhere

Sunday afternoon arrived and I thought about going for a quick ride around the block.  I looked out the back window and it looked decent enough, the thermometer stuck to the window displayed "39".  I thought for a minute about where I might go as I ate a pre-ride apple.

Five minutes later I did a double take out the same back window that was convincing me to ride; a flurry of wind blown snowflakes was in progress.  Okay... I guess I'll head to the basement.  I watched the final hour of the 2010 Leadville 100 video from aboard the rollers.

Levi won the Leadville while I won the

battle of motivation and rode indoors.

A Road Ride - chasing the sun

With KT's help, I came home from work and immediately headed out on a road ride.  The weather was perfect and sunset was around 7:30.  I made the most of it.

Just about ready to roll out.

I was rode north into the wind, out through the Overton Valley.  Then I chased the sun for a while before turning south.  Even after all the bike rides I've done I found some un-ridden roads within a couple hours of home.

 Nice front yard decorations.

I realized the sun was setting fast as I rode across Elyria Road.  No more wandering, it was time to take the direct route home.

 Nice light as the sun was setting.

In the last mile of my ride I swung through Triway Estates to avoid riding on SR3.  Looking off to the side I saw about 11 deer watching me ride by.  I stopped and they didn't run, so I took a picture.  Nice way to end a ride.

 Deer at dusk.

On the Road Again

Another hot, hot day.  Met Ryan on the road for a loop down around Fredericksburg.  Between the heat, humidity, and not riding tons lately we were both beat when we parted ways to head back home.  I ran out of water coming through the swamps on Messner Road, so I slowed down and took some pictures while cruising.

I don't call it "the swamps" for nothin'.

 It's a long, flat road.

Bonus Miles

We pretty much stuck to our plan and had a good ride this morning.  There was one unexpected gravel road in Holmes County but we were not on it for long and it took us through a scenic little valley.  Lots of friendly waves and people out doing yard work today.  Quite a change from rides over the winter where there seemed to be nobody else outdoors, except in their vehicles.

After making it back to Messner Rd, Ryan turned right and I turned left to head home.  I thought to myself "about five miles to get home... or maybe I'll take a detour, it is really nice out."  As it turns out, I thought this to myself several times and ended up tacking on another 10 to 15 miles.  Sunshine and slightly warmer weather sure can be motivating. Working around the house the rest of the day my legs were feeling pretty heavy.  Must have done something useful out on that bike ride.

 I always like this old barn back off Kister Road, near the Mill.

Tomorrow Ryan and I plan to work on a rack for the back of the truck that will be used for our trip to Boone in mid April.  This was part of the truck cap purchase last fall.  I'll have to take some pictures once the rack setup is completed and installed.

PRP - pre ride post

Here's a new idea, I'll post pre-ride as I eat breakfast and stare at the bike sitting in the kitchen.  In about five minutes my coffee cup will be empty and I will roll out the driveway to ride east on Messner Rd. until I meet Ryan.  From there, the plan is to ride south into Fredericksburg and do a clockwise loop, dipping into Holmes County.  The weather looks terrific.  It's about 50 degrees already and is supposed to warm a little bit more beneath sunny skies.  I'll type again after the ride!