Started riding one month ago yesterday, Rode 19 miles at 7 this morning after waiting up till 1 am for the boss to get home from work. Really struggled getting up, but it was so worth it once I got out on the road. First 8 miles were a gentle non-stop incline into a headwind out toward the Superstition mountains, but I averaged 13.9 mph for the entire ride. felt pretty good about the ride and my progress to date. Try to ride road, rest day, ride my mountain bike, rest day, ride road, rest day, then mountain bike again. Seems to be working. My norm is to throw myself headlong and overwork myself, but I'm trying to be smarter and take a slow steady approach to biking.

04:00 a.m., 53 degrees F, gentle 4mph breeze out of the South, Clear star filled skies......a perfect morning for my little 5 mile commute to work. :recum:

I expect it will be a bit more hectic on the ride home at 05:30 p.m. :eek:

Saturday 9/19/09... Great ride on the Pineallas Trail with my daughter to celebrate the annual pie ride.
All is well in Slo Spoke Jim's world. :thumb:

65.09 (s)miles today
523.89 (s)miles this month
5010.43 (s)miles this year
13 ride days this month (Sept.)

Sunday 9/20/2009... Beautiful ride around downtown St Pete with my daughter.

22.53 (s)miles today
546.42 (s)miles this month
5032.96 (s)miles this year
14 ride days this month (Sept.)

:cheers:

I got in 31 miles but had a flat at 5 miles. After I fixed it the tire would not turn. I foundhttp://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f66/kr32/th_002-1.jpg this.http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f66/kr32/th_001-2.jpg
Oh yeh wildlife count -5 deer and 1 owl, pretty cool too, he flew across the path and landed in a tree right next to the path.

kr32 - Really looks like a nice ride. I have to get out early to see deer around here as they bed down shortly after sunup. Turkeys have been every where this year, I saw one on the front porch of a house in a neighborhood the other day. Before I could get the camera out he took off running and gobbling. One of the places that I go to see deer has a black bear in the area but I have not seen him yet. I keep trying.
One of these days I would love to ride in your area, sure hope I can make it happen.
:cheers:

Jim,
my wildlife spottings are in the evenings but I have seen them on weekends during the morning hours as well. When I play golf in the early mornings of Saturday sometimes Sunday I see them on the course as well. We have a beaver there too.

Tuesday afternoon, 4:30-6:00, 104* when I left the house for what turned out to be a slow ride. Every pedal stroke was an effort and I never got into a groove, so I cut the miles and went home. 27.4 miles.

Had a good weekend of riding (64 miles on Sat, 36 on Sunday). Ran 5k on Mon, Tues, and this morning before work.

Wednesday 9/23/09... Great ride after taking 2 days off. Got a late start today and only did 28.5 miles. Saw one deer in a very unusual location today. Darn thing jumped right out in front of me. It ran about 10 yards and stopped then we did a 10 minute stare down. Don't often see them this late in the day.
All is well in Slo Spoke Jim's world. :thumb:

28.54 (s)miles today
574.96 (s)miles this month
5061.50 (s)miles this year
15 ride days this month (Sept.)

Wildlife count 1 deer and 1 armadillo

:cheers:

kr32, when I was younger I used to hunt deer every year but I don't think I could shoot one now except with a camera. I just really enjoy seeing them and watching. I guess that comes with getting older. My problem is I never seem to have the camera when I see them. I could have taken a great picture of the one I saw today. O-well, it is what it is.

:cheers:

HELLO TO ALL/My first ride in about 8 days ; It felt good to ride and no I didnt take anyones advice,not even my own[I know the singletrack minds] here understand /Kenneth

I do not usually take a camera with me but have thought about it just to get a picture of some of those deer I see too. I think I might try and get some soon. Earlier in the year I saw a few fawns and they were so cool looking, almost couldn't see them in the ferns where they were playing in. They were just as tall as thr ferns so it made it hard to see them.
Trouble here is Lyme disease. Brother inlaw has it and it is because of the deer here. Tons of deer with ticks!

THat sounds like plenty of ride in heat like that Red Rider////Kenneth

I appreciate the gifts of moose and venison I recieve these days but dont hunt ///one reason is deer are not plentiful here in Maine the last few years//I still enjoy long ranger shooting though with my 308 and scope./Kenneth

I hope you have a good excuse for taking 8 days off. Glad to see you post again.
:cheers:

I worked this morning and have school soon so I didn't have time for a ride, but reading posts on the forum about how many of you clock miles doing errands, I was prompted to realize that today, instead of driving over my friend's house to deliver a birthday card, I could bike over, get a couple of miles in and save gas. Only 5 miles, but better than driving.

MissKenton is really developing a single track mind :innocent:what next what next for our MissKenton////Kenneth

I rode home from work today for the first time in nearly a month. I took a little longer route and enjoyed the ride. The wind was blowing opposite the way it normally does and I had a head wind but it was still a nice ride. Now I will have to ride back tomorrow morning. Other than getting up at 0500 I always enjoy the ride in.

Yes! Took camera hoping to get some shots of the deer but got this instead during my35 mile ride.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f66/kr32/002-2.jpg

sorry for the small image but he was pretty far away and my camera is just a point and shoot. It was the same owl that I saw yesterday and at the same spot.

Thats a great picture. It shows how well he blends in with the surroundings. Have you ever noticed how quietly an owl can fly? I need to start carrying my camera more.

Solo 39.3 miles with a 20.1 average. I did not notice any live wildlife, lots of dead opossums and skunks, however the small snakes seem to be committing suicide by hanging out on the roads. I must have seen 20 flattened snakes tonight.

This is starting to look like a wildlife thread instead of a did you ride thread.:lol::lol:

Nice owl photo though...

:cheers:

Just a very slow and leisurly 5 mile comute to work this evening. In fact, it took me forty minutes.

I've been in a strange, detached, and quiet mood these past few days. My work mates have noticed and are keeping their distance and are choosing their words very carefully when talking to me. I think they're confused. I don't know what's happening with me, but for some strange reason...I really don't give a darn.

The only change to my riding has been speed and determination...or shall I say the lack of it. I just climb on and amble on down the road as if without a care in the world....kinda nice, actually.

I suspect that in some dusty sub-conscious corner of my strange and mysterious mind I've made some decision about one of the many significant problems that have been perplexing me as of late, I just am not sure what I've decided about what yet. (No I haven't fallen and hit my head, at least not in the last several years anyway)

Hmmm....I wonder how long it will take to ride home in the morning. I wonder how far I'll wander....:recum:

"I've been in a strange, detached, and quiet mood these past few days. My work mates have noticed and are keeping their distance and are choosing their words very carefully when talking to me. I think they're confused. I don't know what's happening with me, but for some strange reason...I really don't give a darn"

Hmm. Welcome to my world. If you were a woman, they would be blaming it on menopause.:twitchy:

When I took the owl picture I had passed this guy who was riding a very old yard sale looking bike 3 speed with front basket and well he was enjoying it. I passed him and went on my way . Well I had stopped shortly after to wipe off my glasses due to sweat and then to take the picture. He caught up to me and asked if I was having trouble and I told him no that I was just taking a picture of the owl. Well after that I started to ride with him, about 10 mph very liesurly for me but it was pretty cool just riding like that and talking with him for awhile.
When I told him I was heading off he said "go ahead because I can't keep up with you guys" I am one of those guys! I made it! LOL