Sunday, May 2, 2010

Last Afternoon Ride unitl Fall

Today was an unusually cool (80) and windy day, probably the last until November. I managed a ride in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve on one of my favorite loops. Starting out at 4:30, I only saw two other riders and two hikers. Since I have been working a lot of hours over the last 6 months, my pace was pretty slow, averaging about 5 mph. Not long ago, everything was as green as the desert can get, but today it was obvious that summer is coming, flowers have almost finished blossoming and the flora is settling in for a long hot spell.

Speaking of that, when its 115 in the shade and you come across a wild burro, they show absolutely no inclination to move, no matter what. Its like they are catatonic. "Please leave me alone" is what they seem to be saying. Its really a wonder they survive the heat.

I hit the road yesterday in the late morning and cranked out 30 miles, which isn't a lot for most cyclists, but for an old guy with a bad back, being hunkered over a road bike for that long sure stiffens up the joints. Getting out on the MTB and working over and around the rock loosens it all up again. Good therapy.

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