It's really quite amazing when you stop to think about just how big space is. I'm talking the stars and planets and universes and black holes kinda space. Not the empty space between my ears kinda space. It's hard to comprehend the vastness of it. You look up to the sky on a clear moonless night and you can see millions of stars which isn't even scratching the surface of just how far you can go. It amazes me that with all that stuff out there that none of it hardly ever runs into something else. I mean I'm sure it happens but I'm also sure it's super-mega-rare.
To bring it down to a smaller scale, think about just chillin' on your bike cruising along on a beautiful sunny Monday afternoon the amount of bugs you might come across on a 52 mile journey. All that wide open Perry county space would lead most people to think the chances of meeting a tiny little bug face to face would be slim but bordering on the rare. All that wide open space. A tiny little fly, or a bee, or a gnat. Little specs of jib no bigger than your pinky finger nail. All that wide open space and those stinkin' little critters found my bike riding eyeballs no less than half a dozen times on my 3hr tour. Some were straight ahead assaults leaving a self-defending split-second squint while others were the periferal sneak attacks that leave no time to react. Little bastards.
Today I made the 3rd Annual Memorial Day Ride to The Wifey's Grandparents House. There is no way I could have ordered better weather. Even the forecasted wind was made to order. South south west. Perfect. I love this ride. It's a great chance to hit some Bee-U-T-full Perry County roads. I passed on the opportunity to meet an old friend and decided to check out a different route. Iron Mountain Rd just north of Millerstown is the steepest beeyatch of a mile long dirt road climb I'd ever care to come across. Like an old friend, I know I'll visit Iron Mtn again someday, just not today. I bypassed the mtn and was happy to do so.
Of course the main attraction of the day was not spending 3 wonderful hours on my road sled but the feasting of quality grilled meats and other assorted glorious goodies while catching up with The Wifey's extended family. Yum.
Warning! Geeky riding-with-a-PowerTap subject matter follows. Interesting tidbits from the ride. 1st hour avg watts was 191, NP 220. TSS was 66 with an IF of .822. 665 calories expended. Avg speed was 17.4mph. This included the hardest climb of the day, The ridiculous Lambs Gap Rd. The lower early portion is pretty chill but if you measure the average gradient from a mile to go all the way to the top its a 10% climb. The final .40 is 13%. Poop.
Second hour avg watts was 187, NP 206. TSS was 60 with an IF of .774 and 670 calories. Avg speed was 17.3mph. Pine Hill Rd off of 850 is one of the coolest little climbs I've done. Perfect asphalt. Tree-lined. Kicks at the end. Over the top drops into a killer scenic view of the valley. Good stuff.
The final 57 minutes was a relaxing 160 avg watts, NP 178. TSS was 42.5. IF was .668 and calories was 550. Avg speed was 18.8mph.
Add it up. F U N ride. Oh yeah, and a very negative balance.
Haley is such a cool little girl. Tomorrow she hits 17 months. I love her.
