Gorgeous Saturday Commute

Finally, it was a nice day with no threatening thunderstorms, and nothing to do after work immediately.  Onwards, Penelope!

My ride to work was glorious.. it started a little chilly, I biked 11.1 miles at an average of 10.7mph. 

I stopped to look at a bunny that hopped in front of me and sat for a moment.  Very sweet.

The morning is just my favorite time.  There is no one else on the bike path, it isn't too hot, and it's just a great way to start the day.

It was nice to get a ride in for Midsommar - tomorrow's weather for actual Midsommar looks to be rainy with thunderstorms.  Not so nice.

Certainly today's ride made up for it.

The afternoon ride was not as nice.  It was a lot warmer, and I foolishly decided to take a different route home, down a much busier street.  It was crowded and a little scary - way too many cars on way too narrow a street.

On top of that, there was a wine festival at the waterfront.  If I had taken my normal route, I would have skipped the whole crowd.  I really dislike bike path traffic jams.  There's construction at the beginning of the bike path off the waterfront, and the path is really narrow and unpleasant.

This is why I prefer the morning for riding.

Still, it was a great ride home.  The route I took was a little shorter - only 10 miles instead of 10.7(ish), and I averaged 10.2 mph.

A Few Missed Rides

After the last ride I posted, there was some rainy weather and other circumstances that made it so that I couldn't ride for a few days.  But, I have gotten some good rides in!

First, on June 3, I took a fabulous ride to the bay in the morning.  The sunrise is migrating, so if I want to see it, I have to go to the bay instead of the causeway.. I don't like the ride as much, but the payoff is pretty nice.

 

It was steamy morning, and the sky was incredible.

All the way to the lake, and then back... the morning ride was about 4 miles.  A much shorter ride than to the causeway, if I just go to the boat access,

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On June 5th, I rode out to the causeway in the morning.  Though the sun is no longer rising over the causeway, it is still a beautiful ride.  I like getting in 7 1/2 miles before work.

And, I love being surrounded by the lake.

The Colchester bog that runs along the side of the path is also lovely.  I saw some wood ducks there a few weeks ago, though I was unable to get a picture of them.
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I did ride to work and back on June 6th. 

It took me just about exactly an hour to get to work.  The ride is so pretty, it just always sets me up for a great day at work.

I adore riding in the morning before the path gets busy.  This road in the afternoon is a bustle with cars.

 

I rode through the University Green again, and I think this will be my permanent route.  So much prettier.

For the ride home, I have been having some troubles with my Strava app.. I start it, and it has (more than once) cut out at some point during my ride.  It recorded my ride home as 2 miles less than my ride to work, and I know I took the same route, so that's just not possible.  I can't bend space.  Anyhow, the ride home was quite lovely as well!

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After that ride to work, we had a yard work day at the house on Sunday, and then several days of hard rain and thunderstorms... no rides for a bit.  But, on Wednesday I got a beautiful morning ride out to the causeway, dodging puddles on the way.

The sky was really pretty that morning, and well worth the ride.

I just love a good morning ride.

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Finally, yesterday morning, I rode to the bay again for my morning ride.  Just to the boating access - I was tired, and didn't get out in time to ride more.

I tend to get to the end of the driveway and decide which way to go, depending on how the sky looks in either direction.  Yesterday morning, the sky was pink.  Hard to capture in pictures...

... But simply glorious.

And this morning?  This morning, I decided to have a cup of coffee and update my blog, instead of going out for a ride.. I had thought about riding to work, but the afternoon forecast calls for thunderstorms, and I don't want to get caught in that.  Riding to work more will come, though!  The kids are out of school now, so my schedule is a little less rigid.  I look forward to more rides to come...

Oh, Deer! A Morning Ride to the Causeway

If I am going to be able to catch the sunrise, I'm going to have to get up earlier... the sun was already up by 5 AM, and the colors were beautiful.

I headed to the causeway, and saw a pair of deer on the way there!

Overall, it was just a gorgeous ride.  7.2 miles, 11.3 mph.  Glorious morning.

Don't know if I'll get a ride in tomorrow - the promised thunderstorms look to be arriving then.

Ride to Sunrise over the Bay

I woke up early this morning.  It's my day off, and I was about to go back to bed, or grab my book... until I looked out of the window and saw the colors starting in the sky. 

I can take a nap later in the day.  I can read my book later in the day... but these colors won't last.

I was about to head to the causeway, but the sky in that direction was solid grey clouds.  While I am sure that the sunrise would have been pretty in that direction, I've been wanting to try a ride in the other direction, to the bay.  It's about the same distance.

The ride is not as pretty, because it is on roads the whole way instead of on a pretty causeway or wooded path.  However, I think the pay off was worth it.

I stopped at a boat access on the way, because the colors were just glorious.

I wish that I had brought a coffee to drink while watching this sky... maybe next time.

The humidity is high today, and it might be rainy later, so I am glad that I got a ride in early.  I may go out for another ride later, but the sunrise... oh, the sunrise is worth getting up early for.

I was not fast this morning (pre-coffee!  And, I stopped often).  I biked 7.2 miles in about 45 minutes, which is 9.7 mph average. 

Riding in the Morning to Avoid the Muggy Heat of the Day

I woke up this morning, and I didn't feel too badly after yesterday's crazy long ride.  I knew that the day was looking to shape up to be hot (almost 90!) and humid - my least favorite kind of weather.  Therefore, I got up and hopped on Penelope, and headed out to the causeway for sunrise.

I think the clouds were prettier about 10 minutes before I left, but I was busy making the kids' lunches, so I couldn't leave when I saw all of the pinks and oranges happening out of my window... that was a shame.  Note to self: You'll get a better bike ride in if you make and blog lunches the night before!

Overall, the ride was very pretty.  It was 7.4 miles, and I was slightly slower than what has become normal, but that would be understandable considering how much I worked my legs yesterday.

I hope that the thunderstorms hold off, and that I get some more morning rides in this week.  The next few days are looking also to be muggy and unpleasantly hot... so here's for hoping!

Commuting on a Chilly Morning (Nicer Afternoon)

I was stung by a bee last night on my ankle, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about biking in to work this morning - but I woke up feeling decent, so I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

I woke up, packed my work bag, filled up my water bottle, and off I went.

I forgot to start my biking app before I left home, but I did start it after 7 miles.  I was so much faster than the first time I rode to work!! 

This hill... this hill is my nemesis.  I have to walk half of it.

The other big hill, I was able to ride up!  That was much better than last time.

Morning is a much nicer ride - I leave early enough that I am practically alone, on the bike path, and on the road.  There is almost no traffic to deal with, and right near work there are a couple crossings that get a little dicey later in the day.

Anyhow, the ride to work was delightful!  It only took me an hour, as opposed to the 1 hr 17 minutes it took me the first time.  I had time to change and fix my hair and even some extra time. That was awesome.  I even took the slightly longer (mile-wise) route, because it is more on the bike path and less on the road, so much more pleasant.

The only negative about riding to work is that is is hard to get any groceries on the way home.  I picked up a couple things and filled my baskets to the brim, and the bike was heavier on the way home, but I still made really good time - 58 minutes for 10.7 miles.  This is compared to 1 hour, 22 minutes on the way home for my first ride.

I hope to ride to work again on Monday - the kids are off school.  The rest of the week looks rather unsettled, weather-wise, so we'll see what it brings.

Before work, cloudy sunrise

I woke up, filled a travel mug with some coffee, and set out to the causeway to catch the sunrise before work...

It was pretty, but the sun was hidden.

All the same, I enjoyed some coffee before heading back home.

It's nice to get 7 1/2  miles in before work.