Soulful Sunday

After a lunch of 3 hot dogs (I love a good hot dog) I was fueled for the road ride that I have been wanting to take for a while, but has never worked out. I was planning it yesterday but got waylaid by a garden full of weeds that I couldn't bear to let Irma fight herself. But that's another story. So today I geared up and pumped up the tires on Roadie to 110 psi. I have a lot of unfulfilled gear needs, and an empty binocular case made a great holder for camera, cell phone and allen wrench when I Velcro'd it over the top tube. My plan was to ride the full route out the farm roads of Round Top all the way to 544 and back. A total of 10.5 miles. I opted for just the T-shirt which turned out to be the correct choice. Although the air was cool, it was windy enough to create a situation where you can sweat and still stay dry.

By mile 5, I started to feel the affects of an unexpected and unwelcome presence, grass pollen. The stiff wind was the perfect delivery system for this unwanted guest. Late May is grass pollen season. I guess I shouldn't plan any epic rides through South Dakota!

The Eastern Shore of Maryland has it's own beauty. Perhaps it can't compete with the mountains of the west, but wide open farm fields under cloudy dramatic sky's are a sight to be appreciated.

One advantage of living in the area is knowing the back roads to travel where you can go 3 miles and only get passed by 4 cars. My plan was to push on to to the more traveled 2 lane highway and then complete the route. When I reached it, I felt good and the smoother road with the wide shoulder did not disappoint. I had been pacing myself, going for distance not speed. But when I reached the highway, I shifted the 21 speed into high gear and I was amazed how it felt effortless to pass the miles. Maybe I caught my second wind, or maybe it was the third hot dog kicking in, but there was no strain in the pedaling and I managed to cruise along comfortably down 544 to 213. Maybe there is hope for a 55 year old cycling wanna-be stud to train up for a dream tour.