Gravel

Today's bike commute was, again, exploratory. I tried a new road with no actual knowledge of where it headed. I figured I could always turn around and head back out if things got dicey. It didn't take long before I hit gravel.

This is why I love riding a bike like the Cross Check instead of a standard road bike. It allows diversity in my riding. The wider tires mean that I can ride where skinny tires won't go. But the aggressive position of a cross bike means I don't lose too much on speed.

But, man, this gravel was big and loose. I really could've used a much bigger tire. I did get nervous a couple times when I was really moving.

Eventually the road dead-ended at a water tower. I played with the thought of camping here. It was really remote and I doubt anyone would catch me. I'm not much of a rule breaker, though. So I'm not sure that I could ever pull it off mentally. At the least, it would be a great spot to sit and drink coffee on a morning commute.

Get out there.

More New Roads

I took the long way in again today. With some research, I found a route that didn't mix up my mileage but gave me some new scenery. It was a great choice. Taking new roads really refreshes the ride experience.

It was also one of those days that made me extremely "pro-Xtracycle." Someone at work needed to borrow a dome tent. Two years ago, I would have been stuck dring to work without any other option. I don't even think about it with the Xtracycle. You can barely see the tent in the FreeLoader bad in the pic above. The Xtra laughs at such a small load when my other bikes are rendered useless.

It's good to be out in the heat and back at regular bike commuting. I've ridden every day this week. It's been a while since I was able to do that.

Plus, I found a place to buy goats if I ever need one.

Get out there.

Long Way Home

Yesterday I got lost on my commute home. I know what you're thinking. "How could someone get lost on their commute?" The truth is, I didn't really get lost. I knew exactly where I was the entire time. But I did miss a turn and ended up on a 16 mile ride when I had planned about 9. It was no big deal, though. I needed to be alone and out for a bit.

I was also able to see some great new scenery. The flooding still has a major presence...

The entire area pictured above doesn't normally have any water. But this stuffed spanned for over an acre.

This house is pretty typical for this area. My normal commute is on the edge of civilization. This route is more removed. I'm guessing this is the area where people build their dream house on their dream lot and stay until they die. Not a bad plan. It's really beautiful out this way.

My normal view is of horses. Yesterday was llamas. Why would someone want a llama? Do they provide wool? Can you ride them? Milk them? It seems rather large to just be a pet.

I passed a bunch of cows in this pond. I guess I spooked them because they went nuts and a stampede ensued. I forgot how fast cows can run! But I suppose it's been a while since I've seen City Slickers.

The ride ended with a view of a cemetery. Shortly after this I reconnected with my regular commute path.

It was good to get lost. I had a full week with lots of social interaction last week. I'm not anti-social, but I can only take so much of people before I start to lose it. 16 miles wasn't much, but the feeling of being lost felt good to my psyche.

Get out there.

Family Ride

This Saturday, my lovely wife requested that we mount the bikes for a family ride. We wanted to mix it up a bit so we hit up the multi-use path that I take nearly every day on my commute. This required that I load the bikes up on the car and drive a bit, though. I feel 100% safe on my bike by myself. But drivers and kids are a little too unpredictable to risk a family ride. So the first two miles were by car, while we followed up with about fourteen on bike.

Since we started by car, of course we forgot something... this time it was my helmet. That wasn't going to stop us from a good time. My daughter's hair looks great here, too. That's the "wind blown" look you get when your parents to choose to ride bikes instead of in cars.

Lots of horses were out. The kids thought that was awesome. It was cool for them to see my regular ride, too. They enjoyed it.

I've never seen geese on the path. Saturday they were everywhere. On two occasions I nearly hit one. This one kept his line long enough for me to whip out my phone and snap a pic.

We had an awesome time. My wife is a major trooper, too. She wasn't feeling well and she was pulling a screaming baby nearly the entire time (we think he hates his helmet). But through it all we had fun and love riding as a family.

Get out there.

I'm Not Alone

I worked a half day on Monday and needed to take the ol' Subaru instead of the bike. To my surprise, I saw another bike commuter on the path. Could this be because May is Bike to Work Month? Perhaps. I'd like to think so, at least.

I look forward to seeing this guy when I'm on two wheels. I haven't had a conversation on the commute in a while.

Get out there.

We Made It

I forgot to write about my half-marathon from last weekend. We headed to Louisville to run the Derby Festival Half Marathon this past Saturday.

I'm no runner, but the 13.1 miles on foot was a blast. Angie ran with me the entire time and it certainly was a memorable experience. It's a really cool thing to accomplish as a married couple. Plus, it was the first run we've done together since before we had kids.

I'm incredibly grateful for my wife talking me into doing it and I'm proud that we maintained a training schedule for that long with three little ones in the home. I genuinely believe that physical activity and being outside is truly beneficial to a marriage. Angie and I have a beautifully healthy relationship, and I attribute a lot of that to doing things like this together.

Get out there... and take your spouse with you.

No Where to Go

All the water that's fallen on Central Kentucky in the last few weeks has run out of places to go. My commute this morning was in cold stinging rain and I got a front row seat to it all. The photo above shows what it looks like on either side of the road for my entire commute. Water is everywhere.

I made poor choices in attire this morning, too. I get "summer" in my head and forget that it's not quite here. It was 45 degrees this morning and I was wearing nothing but wind breaker pants and jacket. It was COLD. At one point, I had to pull my brakes on a downhill because the rain was stinging my face so bad that I couldn't keep my eyes open. I just forget to use my brain sometimes when I'm getting ready.

All that makes my morning cup of coffee all the better, right?

Get out there.