Longish Hill Workout - 33.49 miles
Took it easy on this ride - conserved energy so I could make it in this hilly terrain. Left at 1:42; returned at 4:22.
Route
* Leg 1: Downtown Chelsea to Pierce to Bush to Ivey to Werkner; crosses M-52, turns into Stofer; crosses North Territorial, turns into Hadley; stopped at Wild Goose Lake; [had to stop twice, briefly, to take care of minor details]
* Leg 2: Wild Goose Lake to (Bruin?) to Unadilla, stop close to Doyle to check map;
* Leg 3: Doyle/Unadilla back up Hadley, Stofer, Werkner; stopped on a private road before M-52 to eat;
* Leg 4: Private road on Werkner, across M-52; before turning on Ivey, went the rest of the way on Werkner just to see where it went; back up Ivey to Bush to Pierce, into Chelsea.
Stats
* Leg 1: 11.92 miles; 47 min; 15 avg mph
* Leg 2: 4.69 miles; 18 min; 14.7 avg mph
* Leg 3: 7.25 miles; 29 min; 15.5 avg mph
* Leg 4: 9.36 miles; 37 min; 15 avg mph;
Totals
* 33.49 miles;
* 2 h 11 m on bike
* 15.34 avg mph
* 2 h 40 m total time out
Interesting Happenings
I parked my car outside the Pochays' house. Dave Pochay has been Ian's friend for many years, and since Dave got back into town after being in Texas for over 10 years, there have been many gatherings of "the boys" at the Pochay homestead. I had been there once before, and had heard via the grapevine that Mrs. Pochay said I was welcome to come by any time.
So I dropped in on them, and visited for awhile before I left for my ride. Dave was there too, but getting ready to go to a gaming event at Allen Ano's house, so I didn't have a chance to talk to him. Mr. Pochay said that it was probably going to rain. I told him that my friend Bob Kuehne had said that the radar showed no storms. But it certainly looked like it might rain, and it did.
It rained off and on during the entire ride. There were already raindrops falling when I biked through downtown Chelsea. This made the ride less enjoyable, and with wet bike shorts, made managing crotch discomfort more challenging.
When I stopped for the first time, down a dirt road by a bunch of houses, I managed to fall over as I was getting off my bike. When I got up, I noticed a grandfatherly guy sitting in a chair near his garage, and of course he'd seen the whole thing.
When I stopped near the intersection of Unadilla and Doyle, I considered going farther, say, to Hell, MI, and coming back a different way. But there was constant rumbling thunder, and it looked like I'd have to ride a bit on North Territorial on the way back. I figured it'd be much better just to go back the way I came. I was considering, too, that my legs aren't used to such hilly terrain, so I didn't want to push the miles too hard.
When I got back into Chelsea I visited some more with the Pochays. This was fun because I don't know anyone else like them, and have never been in a house like theirs. It is chock full of stuff, and there are many interesting things to look at. It is full of books, furniture, musical instruments, and historical family photos. I am sure that I will be back next time I park in downtown Chelsea for a ride.
Impressions of Ride
I was smart not to expect too many miles out of this ride. I did well on the hills, and did not feel especially tired when I turned around to come back. However, I had no idea how I would feel after having to repeat the same ride, and didn't want to assume anything about the amount of energy I had left.
I drank lots of sports drink and not much water. It wasn't very hot, so the sports drink was largely for energy. The worst hill was the one coming towards North Territorial from Hadley. The rest were pretty easy by comparison.
I would like to repeat this ride under better weather conditions. I would also like to delve further into Livingston County because I think it has potential for great scenery. I am a little nervous about being a "serious cyclist" there.
I don't know how friendly motorists and other people along the way will be. I have found over many rides that people in Lenawee County are very friendly, so I feel quite comfortable down there. I will need some time to get that comfortable in a completely new region. It sometimes can make me anxious to be very far from home with nothing but my bicycle and the few supplies I can pack.