Growing up in Kansas, there was always wind. (Anyone remember Kansas? Not the state, the band!) It's no different here in Texas. Winds are inevitably out of the south. Living where I do, southerly rides are not very common--who after all, really wants to play Bumper Cars in heavy traffic, sucking in car exhaust the whole time? So most of our rides go north, which means usually we fight a headwind all the way home, when I'd really prefer a tailwind!
Yesterday, DH decided to get a couple hours ride in, and asked for a pick-up when he was done. We refer to this as a tailwind ride. You ride with the wind at your back until you are tired, and then someone comes out in the van and picks you and the bike up. It's sort of like cheating, but it is fun!
Today's winds were scheduled to be 15-20mph, rising to 20-25mph later in the afternoon. I hopped on the bike before lunch, and took off. Traffic was light, as I ran up a series of northerly county roads. Many dogs were out and about, one a large black lab apparently named Shelby. Shelby came charging out across his acreage, in full voice, tail wagging and ears flapping. His young owner hollered at him to stop, and he did. I wasn't concerned really, as his body language wasn't real aggressive.
As I moved on up the road, I saw a beautiful patch of deep purple iris, under a tree on my left. I slowed, thinking I might stop and take a picture. They were really pretty...and then I realized I was being watched, very intently. I looked about, and as I moved my head, I caught a hint of movement, from within the iris patch! There he was....a large black and white border collie-looking dog. He didn't bark, just stared at me. I knew then, if I stopped one of two things would've happened--either he would have moved away and spoiled my photo, OR...he would've decided that I looked tasty, and tried to sample my backside! Discretion won out, and I rode on, sorry to have missed the shot.
In Gunter, on the main road, I got charged by another loose dog. This one looked more like a Bernese Mtn. Dog than anything. Idiot owner let their idiot dog run out after me, in traffic and he nearly got smacked by a pickup truck! Boy am I glad he didn't get hit--that would've been too upsetting to see. But his body language screamed "Biter". I was glad to pass him by.
The ride itself was great--the bike ran well, and I was feeling good. I had some small snacks, and a couple water bottles with me, so I just kept going. In Gunter I did call DH, letting him know I would meet him up the road, whenever he caught up to me. I knew I'd have about an hour or more, depending on how long it took to round up the Monkeys and settle the dogs.
Eventually they did catch up to me, sadly a few miles before I hit Texoma and would've run out of road...but it was a good ride. I felt good, the bike ran well, and nothing was hurting. We detoured to Sherman on the way home, hitting Gander Mtn there. No joy there, and the general opinion was that Gander Mtn is sort of like Cabelas, IF it were done by Kmart Corp! Yeah...think I will stick with the REAL Cabelas!
ouch. My knees are aching just thinking about your fun ride. I despise folks who don't take care of their animals; it's not the dog's fault but the dog will get hurt or blamed.
ReplyDeleteSadly, we don't have a Cabellas here.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good ride. My husband used to bike a lot. The day I met him, he'd just finished riding Hotter Than Hell 100, which was somewhere in TX.