7 Dec 2011 Ride

Wednesday, so that means a very full day.  Had a good time at Community Meals doctoring up plain pieces of donated frozen pizzas to a delectable(?) treat by adding fresh mushrooms, fresh chopped onions and more mozzarella cheese.  It's a great crew that I work with and, even though I'm usually exhausted when I leave, I tremendously enjoy my time there.

Bright sun today, a bit more wind than yesterday.  Interestingly, one would think that a bright sun would be conducive for taking pictures, and it is.  But, while riding, the winter sun being low in the sky can be rather blinding and it makes it hard to easily see photo opportunities.


I rode almost 10 miles before finally getting my first picture of the day.  I stopped at the rest rooms at Lake Fayetteville and I looked around determined to find something to take a photo of. 

I was shooting for 25 miles or getting back by 4:00 as I was scheduled to see Joe at 5:00.  So, I kept my eye out for photo ops but it was good to keep moving.

 On the way back on the trail behind the P&G building, the cement slab in the creek caught my eye. Something about the way it was lying in the water, especially with the sun reflecting off the water, seemed to make it feel alive.

While I was taking pictures of it, a man on a bicycle pulled up next to me.  In very broken English, he asked what I was taking a picture of.  I tried to explain about the cement slab but he thought I was just referring to the sun in the water.  

We talked for a bit and I was able to garner from our conversation that he rode his bike every day (I didn't try to get into if that meant EVERY day).  Leo said that he has ridden since 2004 the equivalent miles to circle the globe on the 33rd parallel, which he said goes through his hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia (though St. Petersburg does not lie on the 33rd parallel, so I may have remembered the latitude incorrectly).  He was a mechanical engineer back in Russia but is now retired, having been in the U.S. since 1999. 

Onward, back to the starting point, hitting the 25 mile mark with 10 minutes to spare.

Back home, on the deck, I spotted these footprints in the snow, which, I believe, are raccoon tracks.

And, if you want to keep track of Felicity Aston, the woman going solo across the Antarctic, here is her link:
http://www.kasperskyonetransantarcticexpedition.com.

Today's Ride:  2hrs 19mins.  25.00 miles.   34°-37°.   Miles YTD:  9,752.29

Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year:  10.32

Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to:  Biking for Food,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church,   224 N. East Ave.,   Fayetteville, AR  72701

Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at  www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.

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