27 Nov 2011 Ride: Dutch Treat

The forecast for today was a high of 40 with winds of up to 25mph.  Given my state of mind yesterday where I seemed to have bumped up against an immovable object, one would think my spirits would really take a beating thinking about today's ride.  But, last night, just before getting ready for bed, I became excited over the prospect of riding in some challenging weather.  I quickly assembled my extra warm biking gear and laid it out so I would have it ready to jump into first thing in the morning.  Going to bed with an excitement of riding the next day was a very good feeling. 

The temperature was 35 when I woke and only rose two degrees by the time I made it on the bike by noon.  

But, before heading out this morning, there was the first fire of the season in the fireplace insert to be made.  And, there was ratatouille to put on the kitchen stove on a slow simmer for dinner.  Meanwhile, Rachel was preparing a buttermilk whole wheat bread.

I found myself on the trail again, which is a good place to be on windy days because of it being somewhat sheltered.  Unlike yesterday when I wanted to focus more on riding, today I felt like taking pictures.  On this gray day, it felt as it were more of a challenge where everything seemed to blend together.  But, I knew there were pictures out there to be had.

The first picture was of Wendy, who I passed a couple of times and was well bundled up like me; it was good to see some other dedicated souls out there.  After passing her the second time, I doubled back and asked if I could take her picture and she was very obliging.

 She had just taken up biking again this past summer and has tried to ride every weekend.


Several miles later, still no other photo opportunities until I ran into Santa, aka Amy, a friend who Carol and I have known for many years. 

On another part of the trail, I passed a small tree that stood out against all the gray.  How vibrant it seemed today and I wanted to dive inside and swim among the colors.

The ride was going very well and I had dressed just about perfectly for the cold and windy conditions.  The only thing experiencing a bit of a chill were my feet despite the wool socks, neoprene covers followed by a pair of shoe windbreakers on top of that.  Any colder and I would have needed to stuff heat packs into my shoes.

 I love how this large bleached log looks as if it is bone of a large mammoth.

I could have easily rode more but I was eager to get back home to catch the tail end of a surprise visit by Wim, an ex-student of Carol's from our very first years here back in 1991. 

 His visit was a most unexpected surprise as he lives in Holland.  Carol and Rachel did stop over and visit with him and his family in Holland when they went over to Europe for the Women's World Cup this past summer.


Being from the country with the most bicyclists per capita, Wim was gracious enough to give me some biking tips :-). 

A very good day all around.

Today's Ride:  2hrs. 1min.  22.11 miles  37°  15-20mph.  Miles YTD:  9,422.5

Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year:  16.99

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

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