Trekkin Around Town

I know, I know.  It’s September already and I haven’t blogged about my treks since July 8th. Honestly, I haven’t broken my record 17.626 miles in one ride with my blue beauty yet, and my treks haven’t been all that exciting.  10 miles here, 15 miles there, another 12 miles here, a sad 7 mile ride (which I intended to be twice that, but cut short as I wasn’t feeling well and the high humidity did me in that day), and one day a 16.59 mile ride – all around my little tri-town area of Millbury, Sutton, and Grafton, MA. One weekend I didn’t ride at all due to on & off thunder storms, and another weekend was so hot & humid that I spent both days swimming at my Dad’s instead of cycling.

Admittedly, I’ve grown rather frustrated. With all my diet and exercise since mid-April, I’ve only lost 3 lousy pounds. Haven’t trimmed down even half as much as I had hoped (welcome to life over the age of 40 – metabolism just ain’t what it used to be, and all the stress I’ve been under with some financial issues certainly hasn’t helped).

I’ve also been feeling the need for a change of scenery, and I’ve been longing for some seaside cycling. I had thought at least once this summer, a trip to the Cape Cod bike paths or Colt State Park in RI with friends would have been coordinated and carried out as discussed back in early spring. I was mistaken. And sans ownership of a car this summer, I couldn’t just go alone. So I pushed myself to keep trekking around town, telling myself that next season I’ll have sorted some issues out and I’ll be able to attack my bigger and better cycling goals, on my own since I clearly can’t count on others.

But don’t get me wrong, while I’m seriously hating all the steep hills and lack of a sea breeze around here these days, I still found some fun on my local Trek trips.

One day, I came across a random playing card in the middle of the road. A 3 no less, my favorite number.🙂

Some sort of sign perhaps? I don’t know, but as I picked up the card & stuffed it in the side pocket of my bike bag, it reminded of magician Steve Valentine and his crazy card tricks, which made me smile as I continued on my journey. 

One Sunday morning, my friend Stephanie offered to be my cycling buddy. We rode the Blackstone River Bikeway, met some friends back in the center of town for breakfast out, then cycled a few miles back to her house where we played some fetch with her fun fur-kid, Neela.

Another day, I went on a muddy off-road adventure over some trails a couple miles down the street from me.

One interesting thing to see along these trails is how Mother Nature has taken over where this old farm and its house used to be.

After this I cycled over to Dad’s for some hang time and a swim in the pool before making my way home for the day.

Don’t let the picture fool ya. I’ll be honest here. It’s thanks to the compression pants and the pose for making me look trimmer than I actually am.😉

Yesterday afternoon I set out on a trek with the goal of reaching Silver Lake in Grafton. Turned out there were just too many Massholes out and about (read people driving like maniacs, going way too fast and getting too close to me for comfort).  For goodness sake, it’s a holiday weekend! What’s everyone in such a rush for? 

On one back road, some speed demon was coming up on me quick, so I pulled off the road to let him/her pass. Muttering a few curse words to myself as the car zipped by at  what had to have been at least twice the speed limit for this road, I was startled when off to my right I heard “Baaah Baaah Baaah”. I turned to find these two talking away at me. 

Awww. I like goats. And I love the willow tree, though I couldn’t help but laugh at the several vehicles buried in the overgrowth in this back yard. Rather takes away from the natural beauty of the tree. (Insert Redneck joke here.)

After a few more miles of close encounters with crazy drivers, I decided that a super long ride was just not a safe bet this day, and I stopped at Wong’s to cool off a bit in the A/C and get my water bottle refilled. Considered calling a chase vehicle to come get me and my bike as I wasn’t sure I wanted to brave the 8ish miles home via the route I planned back. As I was mulling this over, some friends came in so I stuck around a while to chat.  

Not that there weren’t some crazy characters at Wong’s, but they weren’t as likely to kill me as the Masshole drivers. Or were they? Um, McCarthy, what ARE you doing?!?!

LOL He was just trying to show us he remembered to bring this tool that one of our friends had asked to borrow, but it sure does look like he’s fixing to attack my bike with it.

Another friend, Ray, stopped in after a Sunday cruise with his own blue beauty which I admired as I was gearing myself up to head for home.

At this time it was around 5:00 pm and I was thinking the roads would be quieter being that it was prime time for holiday grill outs.  It was a bit better heading back.  But no, Wong’s friends, it’s most certainly NOT all downhill!!!  Getting out of the center of Grafton is really the only easy downhill ride on my way home.

One last little detour along the way, to Norcross Park, simply because I had yet to see the “mini Fenway” ball field that had been built there a few years ago.

That about sums up the last several weeks of my treks around town.

In closing, I’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to all those across the pond in England who volunteered for and/or cycled the Southend Bikeathon fundraising event for Leukemia & Lymphoma research yesterday. It looks like the event was a big success and folks had lots of fun. I may have been here in the states, but my spirit was there with a special someone participating in this worthy cause. Well done everyone!  And super special kudos to my Southend Sweetheart, Richard, on 34 miles of cycling yesterday, and on exceeding his target goal of raising £150.00 in donations.  You’ve made your “drill sergeant” very proud to have supported you throughout your training and during the big day.😉

Trek to the Giant Marshmallows & Beyond

A little late getting to my blog about my Trek trip this weekend, which was actually yesterday morning, but here goes.

I knew it was supposed to be a hot day, so I got up at 6 am to prepare for an early ride while it was still fairly cool out.  Tired from the week, and moving kind of slow, finally hit the road about 6:45am.  About 3 miles out, though I already had an iced coffee in my fridge at home for after my ride, I saw that my friend was working the morning shift at Cumberland Farms in North Grafton (my usual morning coffee connection), so I stopped in to say a quick “Hello”.  I then had to tease him a little for having to wear a goofy looking t-shirt that says “Hofftastic” on it.  LOL (David Hasselhoff is the new spokesperson for Cumby’s iced coffee.)

From there I set off for the “field of marshmallows” (well actually, two of them.)  Here’s the first field I reached, just over 5 miles from home.

See?  I’m not crazy.  Giant marshmallows!  :)

While I was taking this pic, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a minivan I didn’t recognize pull over on the road and stop, the driver watching me.  At first I thought he might just be curious as to what I was doing, but he stayed there as I took a couple of shots and I was getting a little weirded out.  When I turned to get a better look, he waved.  I squinted into the sun, trying to see who it was.  Then he called out to me and I recognized the voice.  It was one of the guys I work with…driving his wife’s vehicle.  Chuckling now I walked over to the car & we chatted.  Total surprise to see someone I work with who lives in the city way out here before 7:30 am.  Turns out he had the same idea as I – get out and get some exercise before it got too hot, and he had taken his dog for a walk at the other Tufts University field further down the road that I was headed for. 

When I got back on my bike and said goodbye to my coworker and his beautiful German Shepherd, I decided to detour down the next side street and cool down in the shade at the train station, before climbing the next hill that would take me through Tufts University Grafton campus.  I had caught a glimpse of a sign here a few weeks ago that I wanted to take a better look at.

In just reading that top part, I couldn’t help but think, “How awesome would that be if my $10 train fare would take me all the way to London!”  I do have a couple of friends in London that I’d love to visit, as well as a sweet, very special someone not far from the city that I really want to spend time with. Alas, my dear Richard, the train only takes me as far as Logan Airport, so I’m just going to have to keep saving for airfare. ;)

A little stretch and a little water…time to hit the hills.

I love the Tufts University campus and the surrounding farmland. It’s such a pretty area.  I used to drive over and bring Miss Mollie walking here regularly.  Have been wanting to pedal through for awhile now, but this had to be an early morning ride while the roads were still quiet and I could enjoy the serenity of it.  I got my wish.🙂

Here’s another “field of marshmallows”.

Oh, and there’s some more over that way.

Okay, okay, so they’re really wrapped hay bales.  But ya gotta admit, it does kinda look like Tufts is growing giant marshmallows in their fields. LOL

I rode to the other end of this large field, which is actually in another town, to see if anyone was in the dog walking area with their fur-kids. But nope, it was empty.

The corn in the background here is grown for feed for the Tufts farm animals, and there’s more in a field on the other side of the road.  To the right, there’s a fenced off grassy area where folks can bring their dogs to let them run & play off leash.  Leashed, they can walk their dogs the whole length of the field around this corn, down to where them marshmallows are and back if they like.  If you walk all the way around the outer edge, you’d have walked about 2 miles.

The sun is shining stronger now, but it’s not too hot yet. It’s just such a lovely day, and I’m enjoying the peace and the scenery here.

My only other plan for today is to enjoy some of the back country roads in the area and try to break 20 miles on one trek.

I head back toward the campus buildings, but turn off the main road onto a side street that will take me toward the center of town.

Here’s an interesting little spot that’s tucked off on this side street just beyond the Tufts border.  The Willard House and Clock Museum.

Admittedly, I’ve never visited this place, only driven (and now pedaled) by it.  I think though, I will have to stop in and check it out one of these days. Well, when it’s open that is. 

Now I really get to riding, there’s a lot of hills on these back roads and I’m going to head toward the center of town and take the long way home.  Passed several other cyclists along the way, and we all greet each other with a “Good morning”.  I stop to take a breather and a drink of water when I was up to about 13 & 1/2 miles.  It’s heating up pretty well now and I can hear the iced coffee in my fridge calling my name.  At this point I decide to shorten the route I had planned and make one more scenic stop on the way home.  

This is at Tricentennial Park in my home-town of Sutton.  

 I enjoyed the sound of the waterfall here for a few minutes before pedaling the last few, very hot now, miles to my home in Millbury.  

About a mile from home, a girlfriend pulled up along side in her car saying she had just texted me from the supermarket parking lot down the road to see if I wanted to go out to run an errand with her with her in a bit & hit some of the local consignment shops while out, and suddenly there I was in front of her as she was driving home.  Well that was awfully convenient. LOL  We quickly planned that she’d pick me up in an hour after I’d had time to put my bike away and get cleaned up, and we had a really fun time out doing girly stuff.  :)

Sigh…so I didn’t break 20.  But still, I enjoyed my morning ride. 17.626 miles, 519 calories burned.  Not so bad.  Oh, and I didn’t crash this time, so that’s a good thing!🙂

That reward I had waiting for me in my fridge. Best. Iced Coffee. Ever.

Until the next trek…

Plan B, Back to the Blackstone

There was no trekkin on my Trek last weekend due to a fun girls’ day out with some friends on Saturday, and spending some time out & about with Dad for Father’s Day on Sunday.  

Yesterday, I had an early morning ride destination in mind, like 5:30ish am early.  But alas, when I awoke at that time, it was pouring rain out.  By the time the rain clouds cleared later in the morning, I was thinking there would be too much traffic for my taste along the route I wanted to ride, so I postponed that plan and set off to do some other things with my day.  This morning…I overslept, so missed my window of opportunity for a quiet early morning ride again.

But I had to get out there and go somewhere. Plan B.  Headed out about 8:30am to pedal back to the Blackstone River Bikeway.

As I had noted in my last post about turtles being a recurring theme on my cycling trips, yesterday I picked up a little ride buddy to keep me company.  Took Timmy Turtle for his first trek to the river.

It was a bright, sunny morning. But not as hot & humid as it had been the last few days of this week.  Low 80’s & low humidity. Perfect morning for the bike path.

Heading back after reaching the Worcester end.

We cruised right along.  

Until…further down I was coming around a corner and suddenly found several people, adults and kids, blocking the whole path.  Slamming on both brakes, I came to a skidding sideways stop in time not to hit anyone. And, of course, lost my balance and spilled me and the bike over onto the pavement.  Thanked the nice dog walker passing by who stopped to make sure I was okay and helped me up.  Barely got a “sorry” out of those pesky pedestrians!  Yeah, I read the safety signs posted, you walkers have the right of way…but really?  You can’t keep to one side and leave the cyclists room to ride by you safely?  It IS called the Blackstone River BIKEWAY after all.  

So, to one of my friends who has said my bike blogs are too boring, (because unlike my walking adventures with my dog in past years, nobody has thrown soda cans out their car windows aiming for me or screamed obscenities at me as they passed by), I hope these people lacking common courtesy & almost causing me a crash quenches your thirst for a little more excitement.  ;)  

Thankfully, no damage done though. Got away from all these people and took a little cool-down break under the next bridge.

Wouldn’t you know it…Timmy & I didn’t see one single turtle in or along the river.  But we did see a gaggle of geese. 

Remember the little baby geese I saw on Mother’s Day that were nothing more than little balls of fluff?  My, how they have grown.  :)

Apparently it’s feeding time on the river.

Timmy was content to take a break and watch the birds for awhile since there were no other turtles to be seen today.

Then it was time to head for home.  

My success for today was that I pedaled up every hill I hit without having to stop and rest halfway up. Yay!  9.095 miles. 270.4 calories burned. 

Later today, I’m going to a birthday party at Purgatory Chasm.  Playing with the kids, and hiking through and around the chasm will be a nice addition to today’s exercise!  :)

Until the next trek…

Went the Wong Way

Yesterday’s Trek challenge that I set for myself on Thursday was to pedal my way to and half-way through the neighboring town of Grafton, MA.

My goal was to get to Wong’s Restaurant, which is located a half mile beyond the center of town. Here I would break for an hour or so cool down rest, a visit with friends (& my “adopted” Chinese family), and to watch the Belmont Stakes with the gang.

Though I carefully planned the route I thought would be the most manageable for me, there is just no way to get to the center of Grafton coming from my home without hitting several difficult hills.  Halfway up Bruce Hill, I couldn’t go on. I stopped to catch my breath and check my cyclocomputer.  Then I leaned over the handle bars to take a peek at my front brakes that seemed to need a tweak. In doing so, I leaned on the reset button of the cyclocomputer and cleared out all the current data. Argh. Good thing I’ve got a good memory!  

Maybe I should rename my blog “The Clutzy Cyclist”?  It seems I have at least one blockheaded bumble on every trip. LOL

So, I found a grassy spot to get off the road, re-programmed the computer, fixed my front brakes, and allowed myself a 10 minute break to hydrate and stretch out in the shade. All the while I was thinking, “I really need a nice, steady, mostly flat, bike path.  These hills suck.  I’m hot…I’m tired…I don’t wanna play anymore. (whine, whine, whine)  But…I’m so close.  Okay, quityerbellyachin & keep going Kimberley, you can do it.”  

Up the rest of Bruce Hill on to the steady incline that is South Street.  Once I reached the center, it was smooth sailing on a nice flat road the rest of the way to Wong’s.

I stepped through the door looking like I had just stepped out of the shower. (Really, my hair was completely dry when I left home!)  I was greeted with smiles & kudos from several friends.

Then the family had to come outside and check out my sweet ride.  This was the first time ever that I’ve been accused of being “too tall”!!!  Had to lower the saddle as far down as it would go for these lovely ladies to take my Trek on a test spin around the parking lot. 

“Cousin” Tracy:

“Mummy” (Mei):

Whatcha think, a new sign post under this window…”Trek Parking”?

Well, the Belmont Stakes ran late, which meant I had to get my munchies to go and hustle my way home before dark.  Aside from my food all safely wrapped up in a plastic bag, Tracy had given me a little gift bag of goodies too, which I didn’t open at the time. Didn’t expect to get presents on this trip!  :)  I packed up my backpack, had Tracy refill my bottle with ice water, and said my goodbyes.  

Took a slightly different route home, which added a little distance. I wanted to avoid the huge hill heading back into Millbury that certainly would’ve done me in had I taken a straighter shot.  I was thankful that I had picked up a safety vest the other day as the sun was setting on the return trip and the back roads were quite shady. Stopped & put it on half-way home to make it easier for cars to see me.  

13.5 Miles of two-wheel traveling today! 

Awww, and look at the pretty presents cousin Tracy rewarded me with!

I so have to plan outfits to go with those barrettes this week.  And the turtle pendant that I can change the color of?  Love it!  Hmmm, it seems turtles are a recurring theme in my Trek trips.  Perhaps this needs to be my Trek talisman?  

A good reminder that “slow and steady wins the race”, and to be patient with myself as I work my way up to my bigger and better goals. 

That’s it…I’m off to stretch out with my copy of Animal Speak and read about turtle as a totem.  :)  Until the next trek…

I’ve Got the Moves Like Jagger

Today’s Trek trip title is brought to you by my dear friend Lindsay, who got the song stuck in my head.  (And it’s still there!  Arrrrgh.  Thanks Linds.)

Started out with a little off road adventuring.  Headed to the woodsy trail leading to Dorothy Pond.

First stop…this is the view behind me:

And this is the view in front of me:

Once you get to the water’s edge, there’s an old rail trail to ride along.  If I follow it back toward home, in about a mile, it spills me out on the road just around the corner from my building. I used to walk it regularly with Miss Mollie, as she loved to come here and play in the water.  Now I’m going to ride it. Here we go:

My trusty steed powered over those railroad ties that are still along sections of the trail, as well as through a few mud puddles.  Further into the woods I had to bob & weave around some low hanging branches.

I only tried to eat one of them.  (read, I gracefully maneuvered around one and didn’t see the next one right after that was perfectly lined up with my face.)  But it didn’t slow me down one bit and I made it back to the road unscathed.  I’m starting to feel like a mountain biker!🙂

From here I would pedal over to a cookout which included an interpretive dance show.  I then got a boomerang lesson, though I think I need to fire my instructor. I took one that he threw to the shin. Um, ouch! I thought those things were supposed to go back to the person who threw em? The after dinner entertainment was a tractor derby, with one contestant, and he crashed.

(I wish I could say I completely made up that last paragraph, but no, not quite.)

On the way home I cruised by my nephew’s house. He was having a birthday party for his roommate, so I crashed it. LOL Just for about 15-20 minutes though to say hello, wish the birthday boy well, and visit with my nephew who wanted to check out my new wheels. And here’s where I go back to being a complete clutz.  If my Trek could talk, she’d have said, “Hey!  Watch where you’re grabbing me!”  Good golly, I better head home now before I break something else.  

Here I am, back home, with the piece of my bike that didn’t survive the easiest leg of today’s trek.

Uh, yeah, that would be my rear reflector, that I snapped right off.  Ooops.  Okay, so maybe I don’t have the moves.

Ah well, shakedown time is up so she’s due to go back to the bike shop for a little TLC anyway.  

6.2 miles total today.  (My nephew thought that was impressive, till I told him that I’ve been up to around 12 miles and am working my way up, aiming for 20.)  I’m sure I counteracted the calories burned at the cookout, so we’ll just skip that this time.  Today was more about getting out & about for a little fun than it was a goal/exercise trek.

Not sure what the weather’s going to be tomorrow – I was told rain.  But this is New England, so ya never know. I may be able to get a Memorial Day ride in, and perhaps see some local tributes to our veterans.

To all those who have served, and are still serving today, my heartfelt thank you. 

Destination Dad’s House

Set off about 8:45 am this morning to tackle my next Trek goal.  Wanted to show up on my bike & surprise my Dad. Got into his town with no problem…but then comes the big bad hills.  I took the route that I thought was going to be the lesser of two evils, but I don’t think it made much difference.  Dropped down into 1st gear – which the guy at my local bike shop assured me I could climb a mountain with – LOL – yeah, eventually…maybe. Halfway up this huge hill I was tuckered out & stopped to rest & cool down.  At this point I was thinking my legs couldn’t handle it and I’d turn around & go home.  Argued with myself for a few minutes over this thought.  Then I said to myself, “Hey, my goal was to reach Dad’s house under my own steam…I never told myself that I couldn’t walk a bit up the hill.”  So, for the steepest section, I hiked the bike up.  Once I got passed that and it was a more manageable incline, I pedaled the rest of the way.

WooHoo!  I’m here!  And all our pretty purple irises are finally in bloom.  :)

But guess who’s not home?  LOL Yup, the surprise was on me.  

Ah well, he probably didn’t go far, so I’ll chill out in the back yard & wait.  Used the time to see what was up around the house since I’d been there last.

Dad got his garden planted.  We all call it “Grampa’s garden”

My favorite irises in the back yard are starting to bloom.🙂

Oh, and lookie here, Me! – actually with my bike.🙂

Dad rolled in the driveway, and didn’t seem at all surprised to see me in the yard.  Hey, he’s not on facebook, how’d he know I’d be there by the time he got home?  

Shortly after, my nephew who lives next door was passing through the yard taking his dog for a walk.  I hadn’t seen him or the pooch in awhile so I joined them for a stroll up the street.

Back from our walk, we sat to rest & visit with my Dad.  Jack says, “Look Auntie!  I got a stick!”

Uh, yeah you crazy dog, that’s a log from your Grandpa’s wood pile you’re gnawing on.  Note to self, pick up some marrow bones for Dad’s house for when Jack visits.

When the boys went home, Dad & I decided to go for a ride to Emma’s Eden (in the car) to get some flowers for our Memorial Day planters.

And I picked up these few cheerful marigolds to brighten up Miss Mollie’s final resting place. I also left her traditional fortune cookie from Wong’s Restaurant, which managed to make its way over in my bike bag without getting crumbled.🙂  

We miss you Mollie! 

I wonder if she’s barking at me from doggie heaven every time I’m on my bike?  She never did like seeing me on two wheels, for whatever her reason.

After weeding the rest of this garden around the rose bushes, Dad & I just sat in the back yard for awhile enjoying the…well, I’d say quiet, but all the birds flitting around were making quite a racket.  That was it though – a gentle breeze rustling the tree leaves, and the birds were all to be heard. 

And yay!  The humming birds are back!🙂

About 5:00 pm I decided it had cooled down enough to trek home.  Refilled my water bottle & headed out.  On the return trip, I pedaled all the uphill parts!  I’m getting there.

11.516 miles of actual riding. 356 calories burned. (That’s on the bike alone, I couldn’t account for all the rest of the activities I’ve engaged in today.)

Ah yes, and it’s getting much easier to get my Trek up and down the stairs! 

Now I’ve gotta think on a goal for next weekend. 

Until the next trek…

Blackstone River Bikeway

Well, it took a month to get here what with our weird New England weather, but I finally met my first big (for me) bicycling goal with my new Trek.

The Blackstone Valley Bike Path is a relatively small section of what is ultimately to be the Blackstone River Bikeway, a 48 mile paved bike route running from Providence, RI to Worcester, MA.  So far, the only completed section open to the public on the MA side is partly in my town of Millbury and partly in Worcester.  There’s a segment completed in RI as well, but the rest is still in planning/design or under construction.

I headed out this morning about 9:30 am.  I had intended to start this trek earlier in the morning while it was still super quiet on the roads, but I was a little leery of the cloud cover. So I took my time getting ready, had a bite to eat & checked on the weather, wanting to be somewhat sure I wouldn’t be stuck in a storm while miles from home.  As I determined it was a safe bet, the sun started to peek through the clouds.  :)  The ride from home to the beginning of the bike path is just under 2 miles.  And here we are!

Heading over what I call “the Barney bridge” because it’s big and purple. That’s Route 146 below me, still early enough on this lovely Sunday morning for the traffic to be light.

Down the hill from the Barney bridge and around the corner to a little bridge over the river.  On one side of this bridge, the water rushes, while it’s quite calm on the other side.

No other peeps to be seen on the path yet, but the sun shone in full force for awhile.

Further down the way I did start seeing some other folks – a couple of joggers, a couple of dog-walkers, and a few families out cycling. The main reason I wanted to trek here in the morning – when it’s still serene, not really crowded with people, there’s a better chance of seeing some of Mother Nature’s other creatures along the river. And that I did.

Shall we play a game?

Duck

Duck

GOOSE!

(Okay, technically there’s 2 geese, but only one is lookin’ at ya.😉  And no, we didn’t have video games when I was little!)

How about another game?  How many turtles do you see?

Okay, let’s just enjoy some scenery for awhile.

While one might not log very many miles on this bike path as it is now, it provides a good workout with several smaller inclines and a couple of steeper hills.  I’m about to tackle one of them here. May look like a flat, straight stretch in the picture, but trust me, it’s not!  A tad tough for someone so out of shape. Steady as she goes Kimberley, you can do it!

YES!  To the top, and then…what goes up, must come down (i.e. the easiest part of the path.)

On the return trip, reminding me it was Mother’s Day, I saw some Mama geese keeping watch over their wandering babies.  So cute.  Harder to see the little ones though, especially in the pics, as they blend right into their background.

At my last stop, my temperature gage was reading 92 degrees. I was a hot, sweaty mess with helmet head, and I was thinking that this guy had the right idea to take a little swim.

He made his way over to join the other turtles I had seen earlier, the ones that were still hangin’ in the sun.

Now I say goodbye to the turtles, and the nice folks I chatted with on this bridge break, made my way out of the bike path and headed for home.

9.502 miles, 288.3 calories burned, and not feeling carrying the bike back up 3 flights of stairs just yet.  Parked her in the shade in my back yard. After some stretching, a light lunch, and a bit of rest while reviewing my photos and working on the blog, I went back out for a spin around the block before bringing the bike in.  So, the grand total is 11.925 miles and 360.5 calories burned on my bike today.  

While my total time out between this morning and later this afternoon was about 2 hours 15 minutes, because of all my scenic stops & snapping shots with the camera, 1 hour 25 minutes was actually spent in the saddle of my trusty steed. 

Next goal: Trek trip to Dad’s house & home again, which is 10 miles round trip.  Of course, I’ll add to that by taking some detours along the way I’m sure.  The challenge will be in the hills I will have to contend with on that ride. They’ll surely feel like mountains compared to the bike path.

To all the Moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!  Until the next trek…