6/7/09 Gruene

When I was growing up my family always went to the lake or the coast when we wanted to play in the water.  I can't recall ever getting in an inner-tube and floating down a river.  So, I'm always surprised when we ride down River Road in the summer time and it's packed wall-to-wall with motor homes and people in tents, though I shouldn't be.

The interesting part is doing it at 7:30 am, before everyone has woken up.  It's actually calm and peaceful.  The problem part is riding back down River Road at around 10:00 am, when everyone has gotten up and is heading back home.  Then it looks like ants streaming out of the colony, especially since there's only one road in and out.  And the ants aren't at all happy to have to drive slowly behind you as you ride out of the valley.  Honking, cursing, and shooting the finger make for good times!  The fact that they're all hung-over probably doesn't help a bit.

6/6/09 Bullis County Park

I'm still finishing rides with lots of water left.  This can't last for much longer.  Summer's bound to arrive in full force any minute now.

6/4/09 Po-Po's

I shouldn't have commented yesterday on my friend's flat problems.  The first thing that happened to me this morning was that the stem broke off the valve on my rear tube when I was topping it off.  I had to change the tube before I could ride.  Karma's not always nice.

6/3/09 Mission Trail

My friend Will is 2 for 2 on flats lately.  He got one on Sunday and he got one this evening when we rode.  It's amazing how you can go for years without a flat, then you get a whole bunch in a row.

6/2/09 Comfort

It was a day for the wildlife.  I saw axis deer, white tail deer, turkey, buzzards, and lots of dead things.  It pays to look out for cars if you're a wild animal.

5/31/09 Gruene

We managed to get lost today scouting a new course.  Well, we weren't really lost, but we took a wrong turn and didn't do the route we originally planned.  It's been a while since I got lost, and it was actually nice because we rode a bunch of roads I've never ridden before.  I got several ideas for new routes.  All in all, a great day.

5/30/09 Real Ale Ride

I have a friend.  I don't want to embarass him, so we'll just identify him as rider 'J'.

Rider 'J' had an eventful day at the Real Ale Ride.  He started off the morning by snapping his rear deraileur cable on the first real hill we came to.  We jury-rigged it to stay in one gear, then went on our way.  Luckily, the first rest stop we came to had a bike mechanic who fixed him up.  Which is a good thing, because 'J's legs weren't up for a ride of this magnitude, especially with only one gear.  He's one of the strongest riders I know, and can ride away from me at will on any terrain, but he hasn't been getting many miles of late.  About 15 miles from the end in Blanco, his legs went into full cramp.  He managed to get them worked out, but was truly suffering for the rest of the ride.  I gave him what food I had, and we got him some water, but that really doesn't help much once the cramps have set it.  He swears that he's going to ride more and get in better shape, but I'll believe that when I see it.  'J' has a tendency to push himself to the limits of endurance in life, and there just aren't the hours in the day for him to ride more and keep up with his workload.