300 MILES!

July 14, 2012  PEDALS adventure:  Today was a milestone ride…my Odometer rolled over to 300 miles!  Since I didn’t have the odometer from the first day I owned the bike, it is accurate to say that there are over 300 actual miles that I have ridden on the bike.  But, it is fun to watch the miles roll over and put some “stakes in the ground” so to speak and celebrate 300 miles of pedaling adventures.



Largest tree we have seen that was toppled by 90+ winds

The momentous ride was the FW Rivergreenway Towpath that started at Rockhill Park.  It is one of my favorite FW rides, because I have done it twice at night (in the dark in September) with the FW Parks Department.   It is a little urban and then goes out along some crop land, through some wetlands, and ends at Lutheran Hospital by I-69.  It is a flat ride, with lots of green, but not a lot of shade!

 We had stopped at the bike shop for some equipment adjustments, so we didn’t get started until late morning.   Consequently we were riding in the middle of a very sunny 90+ degree day.  It actually wasn’t as bad as it sounds because the humidity was relatively low.   We have rides planned in Missouri and Michigan in the next few weeks that may have to take place in hot, humid weather if we are to do them at all, so this was good training for those rides.

The bad part about the towpath is that there is no place to stop for a snack or drink.  We knew that we were close to Jefferson Blvd. where there is a strip mall with a coffee shop, but  there was no way to get there without riding on a busy street.  We did investigate a small housing addition for a thru-way, but the only thing we got for our trouble was the most awesome street sign we have ever seen: Octagon Square.  Talk about an oxymoron.

OCTAGON SQUARE
Seriously? 

The path ended on Jefferson Blvd. across from the entrance to the Lutheran Hospital Campus, which actually serves as a link to the Aboite trails on the other side of their property.  Under the category of  “Every Successful Bike Trip Contains a Food Stop,” we decided to cross on over and visit the Lutheran Hospital cafeteria for a break and some food.   Actually, it was an enjoyable meal as we split a giant tenderloin, a large bottle of G2 and a chocolate Otis Spunkmeyer muffin.  We were glad to get out of the sun and get some drink into us before heading back.

The ride back was uneventful, except for pedaling our 300^th mile just as we returned to Rockhill Park.  We took some time to inspect the storm damaged trees at the park and decided they were the largest  we had seen that were just ripped out of the ground.   Wonder what it would have sounded like to be in the park at that time? 

The stats: 11.56 (RT), Time: 1 hrs. 15 min, ODO: 300.31 miles

Notable Nature Sightings:  The largest trees we’ve seen that were uprooted by the storm.  

Oxymoron Sighting:  A street sign that says “Octagon Square”