Long Sunday Ride

PearlIzumiBarrierConvertibleBikeJacket from last Christmas
You. Are. Amazing. (Thanks so much Mama and Papa! :-)

Our weeks here are chock-full of things to do, people to talk to and sleep to be had, so I have been saving my longer training rides for the weekends. Today I decided I would try for 40 miles with my nearly-new clipless pedals and a good bit of determination. Luckily I didn't realize until I was already out on the road that it wasn't going to get warmer than about 45 degrees and I was starting out into a wicked headwind out of the west. But I changed my route a little and ended up only being into the wind for the first 15 miles before looping back south and on home with a cross wind or even a tail wind for the rest of the way.

Also, I had my first canine victory today, which was just great after my yelling, crazy-mad-woman sprint last week to outrun a pitbull. Icky. So this ride I decided to try a new strategy: Don't Let Them Sense Your Fear. I wasn't quite ready for it when the big brown dog with a black muzzle came barging out onto the road with the hair on his neck standing up, but as soon as I let out my first yell I caught myself and slowed down my bike. "Hey there big guy... that's a good buddy... how's it goin' there ol'-buddy-ol'-pal-ol' friend indeed?" I said just as friendly and calm and evenly as possible in my most-convincing Georgia accent.

And it worked! He stopped... and stared a little... and then sighed and lumbered back to his front porch. So great! Here's hopin' this strategy will work on more than just my big brown and black friend today considering how many rides I want to do yet on these rolling, winding, back country roads.

Anyway, it was a great ride... and I had a great nap afterwards which was just lovely. In case you are interested here is a little more of what I saw on my ride today:

Break time at a hilltop church. I believe this was
only non-Baptist worship place that I saw this morning.

There are many granite quarries around here and just about
everyone has some sort of a monument in their front yard. Hmm....

Black picket fences and lovely Georgia hills.