20 October 2011 Ride: Comfort Soul Food

With the funeral at 3:00, and a strong desire to get in a long ride, that meant I needed to get an early start.  That also meant a bit of an extra challenge as the low was supposed to be 30 degrees.  I spent the evening before gathering the cold weather gear but it was still a hectic morning of getting ready before leaving to drop Rachel off at a friend's house for carpooling into school.  I headed for Gordon Long Park at the intersection of Gregg and Drake as my starting point.  On the bike by 8:10 with the temperature about 32.

Having the right tools is important and that is certainly true about the right clothing for biking.  All wrapped up and cozy with heat packets in both shoes and my gloves, it was a beautiful morning for biking.  The air was still calm but as the day grew, so would the wind.

I thought I would head south and pick up Hwy 71 to Hwy 74.  But, I changed plans and headed north on the trail and made my way up through Springdale on the surface roads.  As odd as it may sound, I was in the mood for the comfort that traffic on moderate paced roads (35mph or so) sometimes seems to provide. A social mingle of sorts.  There was comfort in the air as well; I felt surrounded by quiet and a calmness, yet it was odd how I could hear distant sounds very clearly.  

This was one of those days when my mindset was laid back; touring mode, I like to label it.  The miles went by easily and were very enjoyable.  At one point in Springdale, I pulled up to a traffic light next to a white pick up truck.  The driver pumped out a few horn toots and waved.  It turned out to be John Dempsey from the Roadies.  It was a long light and we were able to talk for a few moments.  We both got a thrill out of running into one another; it was as if we had encountered each other in a different state at a traffic light.  It only added to the social mingling of the day.

Going through a neighborhood, I decided to follow streets at random and it took me on a kind of magical mystery tour.  Not only did it add to the comfort and enjoyment of the ride, I discovered cut-thrus to avoid traffic for the future. 

Near the end of the ride, the wind indeed picked up but going north paid off as now, on the return, I had mostly a tail wind.  Getting back to the park, I certainly could have gone for much longer.

The funeral service went very well and I think that, plus the reception afterward, helped bring some good closure for the family as well as friends.  Of course the loss will still be hard but it feels as if the healing has begun. 

Today's Ride:  4hrs. 52mins.  55.09 miles.  32°-53°  Miles YTD:  7,646.65

Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year:  32.69

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