I had places to go and thngs to do today, so I thought I'd just do a 20 mile ride and get home sooner. Well, as you can see by the numbers above, it didn't turn out that way!
On other rides, I would go past a side road and always wondered where it went. I asked a friend and he told me it comes out by the local high school.
I knew where the high school was, so I had a good idea of the general direction of this new road.
So off I went this morning in search of undiscovered territory.
The road was pretty rough and bumpy, so I wasn't going too fast, but I kept going. I came to an intersection and decided to take a break for a few minutes.
Here's what it looked like;
This is what the inside of the metal shed looks like.
I knew what intersection I was looking for so I could turn onto the road that would lead me to the local high school where I would turn to the left and start making the return loop toward home.
I got back on the road in search of that intersection. After many miles on rough roads, I finally reached a stretch of nice smooth blacktop. But I still hadn't found the intersection I was looking for.
This whole area was all new to me. I looked down the long road and as far as I could see, there weren't any side roads to turn on to. I then noticed the road started up a winding hill with a double yellow line and no shoulder. I also knew I was heading way out into open desert area and the high school was not this far out.
I also knew I was almost 15 miles from home and if I kept going, it would be REAL hot by the time I got home. I reluctantly turned around to go back the way I had just come. So much for doing a big loop!
After a few miles I approached an intersection, and lo and behold, it was the one I had been looking for!
On the way out, the side of the road I was on didn't have a street sign and I had missed the one on this side. Now that I was heading for home to beat the heat, I wasn't going down that road since it would just make the trip even longer.
I went a few more miles and came to another intersection. I recognized the name of the side road and knew it would get me home a little quicker.
Or so I thought.
I went about a mile or so when the road came to a "T". If I turned to the right, I would still be going toward home. BUT, there was a sign to the right that said "DEAD END IN 1800 FEET"
OOPS!
If I turned to the left, it would lead me further out into the open desert. Once again, I had to turn around and go back. I got back on the same road I had come out on. I knew the only way back now was the same exact way I came here.
I had plenty of water, so I wasn't worried about that. It did feel like it was getting hotter pretty quickly, so I just kept pedaling before it got worse.
Here's a sign I saw along the way;
A lot of towns are not cyclist friendly. Thankfully, this area is not one of them. I've never had any problems with any of the drivers I've encountered.
After several more miles, I was finally back home. It was really starting to heat up, so I was glad to be getting out of it. I finished the last of my water and went in the house.
I usually sit down and cool off for a while before I take a shower, but not today!
Not only was I hot, sweaty and tired, I was smelling downright FUNKY!
I couldn't stand being around myself, so I went straight to the shower.
My wife was very appreciative of that.
A few minutes later and I was De-Funketized and cooled off.
I did almost 30 miles. In spite of all the twists and turns and the heat, it was a good ride and it definitely gave me a great workout.
Maybe tomorrow will be less confusing? We shall see.
THE END
