As I was driving to the park I started getting frustrated with all the traffic...until I realized it was Monday (teacher vacation brain has a tight grip on me!)
As I was driving to the park I finished talking myself into riding the trail end to end and back. I failed last time but I also wasn't as prepared. Finally at the park, gear on, time to roll out.
The fog was thick and plentiful, the sun was struggling to break through, made me wonder if I was going to be able to see more than a few feet ahead of me once on the trail.
I rode my least favorite part of the route first - my glasses fogging over, hoards of gnats flying in my face, up my nose, and in my mouth (OK maybe not hoards but there sure were a lot!) did not help me like it any better. I arrived at the Hwy 6 end of the route in good time, now to head back.
8 miles completed - worst part over - Score! I rested at my starting point (Sheriff's Dept on I-10). Looked at my tracking app, I was makin pretty good time! Rested and hydrated I headed out to ride my favorite part of George Bush Park - the 7 miles between me and the other end of the route.
Action shot LOL
So calm and quiet
The heavy dew made it look like some of these plants were floating on water
I get relaxed just thinking about this part of the park (a reward for pedaling that far)
Playin with my glasses while taking a break and enjoying the quiet
Back on the trail and I saw this - does that mean it's only going to be a small construction project?
The rest of my ride was uneventful - no more snakes, no gators like the signs kept warning me about, just the park's yard crew and an occasional jogger or a fellow cyclist.
Last year when I attempted this particular route I fell short and had to call my husband to come pick me up and drive me and my bike back to my truck. Not one of my finer moments. This year was much better - route completed! While this was not my longest ride it still gets marked as a big victory.
Summer 2013
|
Summer 2014
|
Incomplete ride
|
Complete ride
|
2 hrs 20 min
|
2 hrs 5 min
|
Averaged
(6.5 min/mile)
|
Averaged
(5 min/mile)
|
No comments:
Post a Comment