Smokin' Spokes & More!

I've let long lapses occur between blog posts, and every once in a while I consider discontinuing the blog. However, just about the time I'm convinced no one is reading, someone will mention that they've enjoyed a post or a photo album. So, on the outside chance that someone out there is reading from time to time, I'll keep posting from time to time.

I've a few things to tell about starting with a great bike ride in Salado at the end of March. If you enjoy bike rides, Mark and I strongly recommend the Salado Smokin' Spokes ride benefitting the volunteer fire department. It is a well-organized, well-supported ride through a lovely area--and it starts and ends in Salado so what more could you want? We were happy to have much better weather this year (cold & windy last year), and because of that, I finished the ride in much better time this year. We did the 16 mile route and followed that up with a cup of coffee at Roy T's. Roy T's is a great stop for coffee & a beignet or other pastry--it's just off IH35, so you don't have to be a cyclist to enjoy a break there. The ride was also held on the same day as the Salado art show. We enjoyed the fine paintings, pottery, etc. but I was mostly delighted to come home with Billy. (Doesn't he look great in our herb garden?)
You can see more pictures from the ride by clicking on the 'Smokin' Spokes 2010' album at the right.

Speaking of gardens, our 'Back 40' ('feet', that is) is jam-packed this year. We are starting to harvest our carrots and the onions shouldn't be far behind. Our grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos are growing nicely. As you can see from the picture of Billy above, the herbs are coming along too. We have both strawberries and blackberries starting to produce and corn (yes, corn!) is growing along the back fence. It truly is amazing to see what you can do in a small space. You can see more garden pictures in the 'Armadillo Pfarms' album at the right.

Against the wind....

Well, it was a busy weekend. Mark may require that I get his pre-approval before planning another like this one!

We were up and out early on Saturday for an 8:00 start of the 'Smokin Spokes' ride in Salado. It was COLD (45 degrees) & WINDY (25-30 sustained with gusts 45-50 mph) and let's just say that my spokes didn't 'smoke' during that ride. In fact, for a good bit of the ride I felt like I was standing still (or maybe even going backwards), especially as we pedalled the first five miles or so up a slight incline into a strong, frigid head-wind. The 15 mile route had a number of tough hills and the strong, bitter-cold wind made even the downhills a challenge.

But the ride-organizers, Salado volunteers & residents, and rural views more than compensated for the less-than-preferable weather. The organizer & beneficiary of the ride, the Salado fire department, was great! The route was well marked and traffic control could not have been better. The volunteers and Salado residents were friendly & courteous and very sympathetic to the obvious effort I was exerting (a nice lady even stopped to offer us a ride--guess I was going pretty slow...)

And as usual, the cyclists were terrific. My experience with charity bike rides in Central Texas is that the cyclists are always friendly & encouraging. If you cycle or know a cyclist, please extend my thanks to them. It is so nice to be included in these activities and to have my participation be so well-received.

As for time yesterday, let's just say that it took longer than I would have liked. No doubt, I would have done better on a less-blustery day, but one benefit of going slow is that I do enjoy the scenery. We saw lots of horses, goats, chickens, and dogs and many beautiful fields (Mark snapped a few pics--see slideshow to the right). And even though I was slow, I am happy to say that I did the whole ride under my own effort. Mark had to pedal pretty slowly and did plenty of waiting for me, but not once did he have to help push me up a hill. I got through the last few hills by reminding myself that once finished Mark would treat me to coffee & beignets at Roy T's (just off IH35 in Salado; if you haven't been there, it is worth a stop next time you're traveling through.)

Well, the fire department says they don't mind a 'slow-poke' so this ride is definitely on my calendar again for next year. If you like to cycle, I encourage you to consider this ride.

We were up and out early again on Sunday for the Capitol 10K. I was pretty proud of us for just getting out again after our effort on Saturday. I'm sure that 15 mile ride made today's Cap 10K a bit more difficult for both Mark and for me. Given the 15 miles yesterday and the bit of gear trouble I had today, I was glad to finish the course in under an hour. I was about 10 minutes slower than last year, but 55 minutes is still a respectable time and I'm actually very glad that I'm not currently still trying to get up that hill on Enfield :)

The race was well organized, the volunteers were friendly & helpful, and the weather was beautiful (a cold start, but much warmer overall than yesterday and with very little wind). Like the cyclists, the Austin running community is very friendly and encouraging; so thanks to all the runner's who shared their fun with 'wheelers' like me.

Another fun thing about today's Cap10K is that Andy, another handcyclist and Kristen & Suzanne, both using racing chairs, participated. There aren't very many weekend wheelchair athletes in Austin and it is always nice when we get a chance to see each other & ride together. The Cap10K affords a nice opportunity for us to do that. Mark, brother-in-law Alan, and friend Joe ran together as they have done many times. They all had fun and all finished the course in a reasonable time. We enjoyed visiting with them and with Mark's sister, Paula, over coffee after the run. (Yes, you're noticing a pattern here.)

I don't know if Mark & I will do the Cap10K again next year. Regardless, I am hoping that the Cap10K folks will reconsider the stringent wheelchair qualifying time requirement for next year's race. We wheelers need to be respectful of the Cap10K's challenge of organizing such a large event and of their need to have a safe course; I'm hoping the Cap10K organizers and the wheelers will work to some compromise that will allow more wheelers to participate while still promoting a event that is safe & fun for all participants.

Well, we capped off the weekend by taking Oscar for his regular mile walk--wouldn't want the boy to feel left out! We sure enjoyed the weekend's events, but we're going to head back to work tomorrow for some much-need rest. Thanks for reading!