Just a Ride

 I want to write about my ride on Thursday. But first,

I never reported on the THIRD day of camp. This will be a short synopsis. I may or may not write more about it later.

On the third day of camp I rode 118 miles with the other campers doing IM this year.

It took a really long time.

I wanted to push the pace so we would be done earlier. But I didn't. Or couldn't b/c I was with the group. This was probably best since at mile 107 (when the ride was supposed to finish) I was sort of - a  little-  kind of TOAST.

I loved the people I rode with. I wish I could ride with them every day. We were all sort of at the same place in terms of fitness and ability, which is so unusual. The only person in far superior shape than the rest of us was Jerome, and he's like--Jerome. He looked like he could've biked 5 MPH faster average for the ride, and then gone on to do another 100 to boot.

When we finished I was happy and hungry and ready for a big, tall beer. End of synopsis.

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It rained at the beginning of this week, but on Thursday it was merely gray, not raining, and I had a 75 mile ride planned.

I'm boring. I nearly always do the same route. This is for two reasons.

1. I like this route.
 2. If I stray from this route I invariably get lost and spend a lot of my ride trying to figure out how to get home.  As previously mentioned, I'm directionally challenged.

Tucson's landscape is so vastly different than that of New England. It left me motivated to capture my landscape--what I experience every day I ride. Because I spend so much time by myself on this self-created route, I decided I wanted to photographically document my favorite parts it. I know you are VERY EXCITED. Try to stay calm.

This is a barn I see early on in my ride. I like the painted cow.

I see this coming up a hill about 50 minutes into my ride. Pretty great, huh?

This is Pee Stop #1. I usually pee, then check my mail on my iPhone as I eat a snack.

These two shots are of an abandoned barn. I've always wanted to go in and explore, but I'm too chicken. I need someone to go with me. Anyone? Anyone?

This is pee stop #2. It's picturesque. I've selected my pee stops carefully for both their capacity for privacy (low traffic, country roads) and beauty.

This is the view from pee stop #2.

This is another shot of the same lake at pee stop #2.

As I emerge from these country roads I go up a big hill and see: 

It always motivates me a bit to make it to my sign.

After a time on some main roads (yucko) I go back into country lane terrain. Remember I fell a few weeks ago in a big puddle? The big puddle is still there. This time I climbed (with my bike) on the stone wall to get around it, though. That sucker is DEEP.

But not as big as The Whitehall Reservoir in Hopkinton. After a few figure eights I end up circumnavigating this puppy.

Another shot of the Reservoir. It looks like dusk, but as I mentioned, it was just another gray day. I took this picture at like noon.

If you can't read the sign it says Boot Shop, 1788. How cool is that? I have peered in the windows. It's empty. This is in Upton, on the border of Hopedale.

And here we have Pee stop #3. This is my oldest and most favorite pee stop. I've peed here for many years now. It's actually quite lovely in the summer, even though I'm sure it's quite saturated with my pee.

On the way home I travel through Hopkinton Center, which is where the Boston Marathon begins! This gazebo is the epicenter of CRAZINESS on marathon morning.








And here is the famous starting line of the Boston Marathon. This part of my ride is fun, because it is downhill for quite a bit, and very fast.

I didn't document even one quarter of my ride on Thursday. But this is a start.

I spend a lot, a lot, a lot of time riding these roads. Just me and Mrs. Z and my snacks.