Cows and More Cows

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit desperate for a new route to ride. The options are quite limited here if I expect to have decent pavement and a safe road. I’m not normally one to drive to a new location to ride, but since my summer break is coming to an end, I seized the day and drove out to Knight’s Ferry.

Mistake 1: I wasn’t feeling well that morning. It was a little breezy and my asthma was acting up. While Orange Blossom road doesn’t offer any real climbs, there are rolling hills and any type of hill can cause an issue when you can’t breathe and you left your inhaler at home.

Mistake 2: I could have parked on the Oakdale side of Orange Blossom and ridden the other direction into Knight’s Ferry, shaving off driving time and therefore reducing my irritation level by the time I arrived.

While the ride was more or less a bust, I’m looking at it as yet another learning experience. I’ll be back when I have improved my riding abilities and I’m feeling better.

Mooooo!

On my return from Knight’s Ferry, I took East River Road back into Modesto from Oakdale. This turned out to be a brilliant idea. Not because anything spectacular happened, but I realized that this road is perfect for riding. There are few cars on the road, most of it is wide with bike lanes, and cyclists frequent the route. Yes, I ride it all of the time. I just don’t usually ride this section of the road. That is, until last weekend.

It was a typically beautiful Saturday morning and I hit the road early to beat the heat. I didn’t really have any idea how far I would ride, but that’s the brilliance of an out and back ride. I ride until I’m tired, but not so tired I can’t continue, and then turn around. Before I knew it, I was in Oakdale, 25 km from home. After a brief stop for a snack (and to talk to cows), I turned around and headed home.

Looking out over the Stanislaus River

This guy came over and sniffed my saddle when I leaned my bike against the fence

Weee!

I saw many other cyclists out (only one other woman this time), most of which were friendly enough to wave. Once I was back into the city, a rider pulled up next to me at a stop light and we actually had a conversation about our rides for the day as we rode the next kilometer or so. That’s the kind of behavior that fosters a community of like-minded people. It’s funny how the little things can make or break your day.

In completely unrelated ride news... look what photo was in the Bend Bulletin a couple of weeks ago!
Cyclist is a Cascade veteran