Riding in Western Tennessee

This past week I traveled to Clifton, Tennessee and rode in the Tour de Wayne. This ride was 71 miles of hilly country. Not quite like Cheaha, but a challenge none the less. The temperature soared to the mid 90's which made it a bit more difficult. It wasn't Cheaha though! I heard lots of people claiming they didn't think they were going to make it. I ran the distance with no problems. Just for a few minutes I had a cramp start in my right leg but after replenishing with gatoraid and water, it was fine. Mike was supposed to have met me there but he found a dance he preferred to attend. SO there I was riding solitary again. But that isn't all bad. Most everyone has a pace that they ride sometimes slower sometimes faster. That way I could ride my own pace and go faster or slower at my own discretion.

Bev didn't have the best time ever. The camping spots left a lot to be desired. I wasn't pleased either. The water wasn't good at the Marina. The Crazy Horse campground was a big rough. Next time we will stay in a State Park or ACE campground. Those RV parks just don't cut it!

Now there won't be a ride until fall. I have nothing planned for the rest of the month except our bike race. July won't have much going on so we will probably go see Kirk and Cindy. Then in August we go back to Navarre Beach. September will be the ride in Montgomery but I don't expect there to be much camping down there. I probably need to check out where the ride is going to be and try to get at Fort Tolouse.

Catching up

After my recovery period for Covid, I went to Cullman on Monday the 8th and started catching up on the mowing and farm stuff. Pretty much everything needed mowing. The big tractor made short work on the main north fields and David helped me with the field across from the pond. The grass had grown quite long and with the two week absence, I simply started and mowed all of them. There is always some mowing to do. At least no trees had fallen. There were some indoor projects pending. A couple of shower fixtures had to be replaced. The screen door latch didn't hold and had to be improved. The old JD mower needed a bit of tuning so it would climb better and the mowing deck replaced. And the garden needed to be disked and more corn and okra planted. David should have had a shot on the groundhog at the old house but forgot to check his ammo. The hammer fell on an empty chamber. I got the conibear traps out and caught one of the groundhogs that lived by the spring. David had ...

Spock

Spock is my favorite character in all fiction. A character who bridged the gap between two worlds and faced disdain from each. Who strove for excellence and exemplified strength, character, intelligence, and control. His nearly emotionless demeanor was a perfect foil for those who would attempt to intimidate or insult him. It was a style I would endeavor to imitate to thwart those attempting to insult, demean, or scare me in my own young life. I bought this little figure to remind me to guard against letting my defenses down and allowing emotional hurt to strike me.

Counting down to Florida Bike Safari...

Darn cold weather! I got up this morning to some cool north breezes. It made me decide to hike rather than bike. Next week I will do the pm rides for the bike club. In the mornings, if there is time, I will get in some climbing out toward Bull Gap. I need to do the climbs more than the long rides. I seem to be stronger on the hills than last year. Maybe it is the 35 lbs I have dropped. That is almost equal to 2 bikes. I also dropped about 7 or 8 from the new bike. Combined that puts me 42 pounds of weight saved which would be a substantial load to pull up the hill. Now I just need to train those leg muscles to pound out the climbs. The only way I see to do that is to just do hills! I need to remember some small but important things when I pack for the trip. I will need to be sure I have a wrench to change the tire with. I need to check the spare to make sure it holds air. I will need to pack the charger just in case. A long extension cord might be nice. Sunscreen and bug repel will be ...

diddlee

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