2018 mileage: 2259.4
SUMMER'S BACK!
Oh, technically it doesn't officially leave us until next week, but I have always made the mental switch after Labor Day, with the advent of the new school year. However, when I began my ride at 11:15 today with abundant sunshine, a 72* temperature (which climbed to 79° by the time I finished), and thick, humid air, it felt more like July or August than September!
I rode a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), completing 18.8 miles in 2:24. But it was an uncomfortable ride: (1) My left thigh was sore again from brushing the brake cable; and (2) my feet were awfully sore from the pressure on the pedals. Oh well ... guess I just need to toughen up!
In the early part of the ride, I rode a wooded path that I used to run (or, as a fitter friend like to kid me about my lack of speed, "run" 😎) back when I was still able to run (that is, pre-2012), and that brought back good memories.
2018 mileage: 2250.6
I am highly dismayed to have only reached my 80th ride outdoors by mid-September -- but (to use a current phrase I dislike), "it is what it is!"
This morning I left a few minutes before 9:00 and did a big, healthy ride, going first to Marsh Park, and then to the far west end of Saline (a couple of miles west of Wellers, where the sidewalk finally ends as U.S. 12 continues its westward march to Chicago. When I began it was 62*, and up to 69* when I finished my ride of 20.7 miles (2:24).
2018 mileage: 2229.9
I checked this morning, and my preferred ride out to Baker Rd. (Dexter) is still partially inaccessible due to blocked sidewalks (construction). So, instead, I did a ride all in Ann Arbor, nearly entirely on sidewalks. I went north on Maple until it intersected with Miller, and then took Miller southeast into downtown. This included a nice long downhill stretch ... but, of course, I first had to climb hills to reach the beginning of this stretch.
Then I rode past my old stomping grounds (both where I lived for a couple of weeks, following my May 1993 accident, and where I was employed for a time in 2012-13), the University Hospital, and got onto the part of the Border-to-Border Trail that runs through Gallup Park. Riding this down into the park, I then exited Gallup and rode south beside Huron Parkway, then west beside Packard and then Eisenhower, and home along Ann Arbor-Saline Road and Lohr Road. This gave me an enjoyable ride of 17.7 miles in 2:16.
2018 mileage: 2202.2
Today I got over another mileage milestone for the year, hitting 2200. I left later than usual, due to schedule considerations, and rode a round trip to Baker Rd., finishing the 19.0 miles in 2:13. (The mileage for this destination fluctuates, as I vary the early part of my route according to conditions, and occasionally my whims.) 1
2018 mileage: 2183.2
Today was slightly less sultry than yesterday was, but still most definitely late summer, rather than fall, weather. When I began my ride at 8:45, it was 75° and brightly sunny, rising to 88* by the time I finished. Once more today I rode a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), completing the 20.4 miles in 2:27.
2018 mileage: 2162.8
This morning I took my time getting going, not beginning my ride until 9:30. One normally thinks of this day after Labor Day, a day on which many schools begin, in conjunction with Fall -- but that was a pretty ludicrous association today. Already when I began my ride, if was 86° and sunny, and the temperature rose to 93° during my ride. The picture below is from shortly after I had started out, when I reached the intersection off Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., looking down the hill to the north, with the entrance to I-94 visible.
A little further on, where Main St. and Stadium Blvd. intersect, I rode past the famed Big House—Michigan Stadium, the largest football stadium in existence, where the University of Michigan plays its games, and so nicknamed by longtime legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson.
When I reached Baker Rd., and crossed Jackson Rd. to start my long journey homeward, I took yet another picture, looking back eastward along Jackson Rd. to the far-distant Ann Arbor.
2018 mileage: 2143.4
I was glad to begin this holiday as I always try to start holidays, with a brisk ride, and left at 7:00 to ride a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), completing the 20.3 miles in 2:16. I was especially glad to get in a good ride after having had two days off -- Saturday I couldn't ride, because Michelle and I went to visit her parents, over an hour away, and that took a big chunk of the day (but was also a great blessing); and then yesterday morning I played a piano solo at church and then took the remainder of the day as a rest day.
I was caught off guard by riding through some showers in the first half of my ride, but at least there was no thunder or lightning. And this morning I took the following picture as I approached Baker Rd. My safety is enhanced by the fact that there is a sidewalk crossing there (although I don't think they put it in just for my benefit. 😎)
