Started out with some friends from the team, and then took off on my own. We came across some wild turkeys and they weren't going to give up their spot on the road. At least one was a Tom, and as we got closer he fanned his tail feathers and puffed out his chest. I'd never seen that before, and they were like 3-5 feet away from us. Then as we went by he told us the way it was, with a couple of gobbles.
I rode to White Bear Lake with everyone, and then turned up North, and rode to Marine on St. Croix. This is some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Rolling hills, with lakes everywhere. Pine trees that look old and gnarly, and farms that look even older, but somehow quaint and serene. Even the dilapidated barns have a look to them of reverence and awe, for what they once were.
I came out of Marine and up pine tree lined Nason hill. I'm getting old, but the tail wind was rejuvenating as I picked up speed moving south towards Stillwater. I stopped in Stillwater for the requisite Gatorade, Rice Krispie Treat, and Baby Ruth Bar, which today wound up being a Snickers Bar.
I was having a hard time deciding if I was going to go all the way to Afton, but the tail wind kept telling me it would be fine. Once across 94 the scenery gets better again, and I enjoyed descending along easy curves into Afton. What goes down definitely goes up again, and with 75 miles on the old legs, the two climbs out of Afton, although picturesque were challenging.
Now that I'm worn out from the hills I get to head East and fight a cross wind. It really wasn't that bad, but being tired made it seem worse than it was. The thighs started to moan a little, they weren't screaming, but I knew they were a little displeased with me.
I got into St Paul and decided to come across on Summit. I don't know why I decided to go up Ramsey Hill, but I did. I have always hated that hill. With 95 miles on my legs and 4 good sized climbs behind me, my hate has not been tempered against Ramsey.
Along Summit and the Greenway I got a little spring back into my legs, and it felt like I had a helpful tail wind.
I pulled into home with 110 miles a 19.3mph average and one of my more enjoyable rides. I'll be out on this route again soon.
1 comment:
110 miles in April; cool! Nice writeup-I'll have to ask you for a shorter route that will get me out to see some of those farms, and definitely the trees. Riding in a forest/heavily treed area is so soothing.
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