Thanks, zzOtherlandzz! It's definitely motivating to be able to post improvements too.

This morning I left the house with the goal of reaching Grant Park. I didn't really think about how far it might be. I just figured it was further but not too far. Plus I could chill there for a few minutes then head back. This ride would also put me far enough on the road down to my neighborhood to encounter the "bike lane." Quotes are needed because it's pretty much unusable. It's full of plants growing in it, limbs from trees and bushes, glass, potholes, a couch, trenches dug up for sewer work and poorly covered up, etc. Oh well, at least there are share the road signs.

I didn't have a specific route in mind. I just started off how I'd go by car, then started cutting through some neighborhoods. As I was going through one neighborhood, the road just kept going down, down, down hill. Uh oh. Gonna have to climb out of that at some point. I found it when I got back on the main cut over road to the park. I climbed most of it but ended up pushing the last two blocks. Not too bad.

At the park, people were already setting up for their July 4th festivities. At 8:15am. Guess you need to get there early for a prime spot. I drank a little water, took a couple of pics and then headed back another way for different scenery. Still had a hill to contend with but it wasn't as bad and I was able to sit and spin my way up.

Didn't see many cyclists out. A pair of roads and another casual sort. It could've been the same guy from yesterday. It's surprising because it's cool by GA standards and the humidity is pretty low.

So today's ride was 7.57 miles, double yesterday's! Woo hoo! My butt is still in pretty good shape, but my hands got pretty cranky towards the end.

My bike at the park:



Me after half my ride: