3/18/2013
By: C. Kent, aka (Superman)
I looked outside my window this morning and wondered what had happened to our sunny skies? It was still 50 degrees but it was foggy and overcast. Where was the sun or the warm weather we enjoyed Friday? I might not need my jacket but there was no way I was leaving the house without arm and leg warmers. I had breakfast and got dressed and even took my time getting the bike ready before leaving the house. Still I got to Burger King just after Digger and we had coffee together. We were standing there and talking when Highlander drove up.
I was surprised that Dura Max wasn’t there because while it was overcast it didn’t look like rain. Chinook and Artemis rode up along with a new rider, Kevin. Bulldozer joined us with Bloodhound, Dragon Slayer and Steve. Red Rabbit was one of the last to arrive before we got ready to leave. 11 of us left the parking lot and headed for Acacia. We turned west to Kirby to start our move south.
I knew as we moved toward the railroad tracks that it was going to take a lot more to warm up my legs today than it did Friday but at least I had a hope the sun would come out and I could shed some warmers before we got to the east side of town. I did lead us to Cypress and started us west as Bloodhound took over and several others followed him out onto Johnston and out to the light at Sanderson. Once the light changed we were back on our way and headed for Domenigoni.
Once we made it by Mustang we started to look at moving to the left so we could get to the light at Domenigoni and Sanderson. Once the light changed we headed east towards Searl and then to State Street. Rabbit and Digger were a bit slow getting started so I tried to pull them up to the group before State Street. I couldn’t do it so we had to follow the group south on State and through the housing tract at McSweeney and back out onto State for a regroup.
I decided to give Rabbit a head start heading back north on State and waited until he almost made it to the light at Domenigoni before we gave chase. Mush to his bad luck he got the light red and Dragon Slayer was almost on him before it turned green. We all caught him about 50 yards later and took off for Chambers. We worked our way out to Stetson and started towards Columbia. The problem was we dropped Rabbit and so I sent the rest of the group to Fairview and I waited for Rabbit. He was struggling a bit today so I pulled him to the regroup at Fairview and then gave him a head start once more heading north towards Florida.
This time Rabbit stayed ahead of us even after the mad sprint over the bat bridge and to Mulberry. We could see him as we rolled by Florida and Bloodhound mad a strong run at him all the way past the fire station. We caught him shortly afterwards and strung out a bit as we regrouped at Ramona.
Once again we had Rabbit take off and I intended to have Steve lead the group after him but Bloodhound got the jump and then Dragon Slayer and we caught him before we got to Hemet Street. We were cruising at a pretty good clip as we past the light at Lake Street and we on our way to the turn over the dry riverbed and over to Soboba to head back west. We had dropped a rider or two so we regrouped at the light and waited for a full regroup. Bulldozer had already left us when we past his street on Ramona so we were ready to attack the canyon as soon as Rabbit was ready to go.
Dragon Slayer started the pull and had us past the driving range in no time. Before we zeroed in on the last two rollers Steve pulled up front to assist but that only pulled Bloodhound to the front where he slowly extended a lead. As he started up the last roller I took off in a closing sprint and managed to catch him just before the topped out. We regrouped again at the Temple on State.
Rabbit decided to call it a day and headed back to his car as we started south on State. We followed him a few minutes later and made the light at Ramona in short order. Once we started back east the lead group slowly started to pull away from the back markers and I could see they were spread out a bit when I dropped back to get Digger. We could still see them as we got back to Main Street but it looked like they were strung out even more. By Hemet Street we could no longer see them and Digger and I got to the coffee shop after everyone else had parked. However somehow they had lost Kevin and it turned out he had to ride back to Burger King by himself.
We had our coffee and conversation before heading back out to start home ourselves. We still had 9 of the original riders and I was looking forward to the ride home as a group. Before we could get started Steve decided to give us a tire changing demonstration. While I will admit he had some new twist on our normal tire changing such as the Russian tube mount, something he seemed very proud of but don’t ask me how it is done because I use the traditional Dura Max approved American tube mounting system. Still he did a fine job giving the demonstration before we had to leave for Burger King.
Once we got back out onto new Chicago it was more or less all downhill to Lincoln. Lincoln seems like it is downhill as well all the way to Park. We have to be careful at Park because many times it seems as if Highlander started to smell the barn as we close in on Devonshire and if he gets a lead we have to chase him all the way back to the cars. It didn’t happen today and digger and I split off at Palm heading to our respective homes. I got home feeling pretty good and ready for lunch and a shower. The good news was that Garmin had a fix for my sick Garmin Edge that seems to have worked. So all in all it turned out to be a good day and a good ride.
I knew as we moved toward the railroad tracks that it was going to take a lot more to warm up my legs today than it did Friday but at least I had a hope the sun would come out and I could shed some warmers before we got to the east side of town. I did lead us to Cypress and started us west as Bloodhound took over and several others followed him out onto Johnston and out to the light at Sanderson. Once the light changed we were back on our way and headed for Domenigoni.
Once we made it by Mustang we started to look at moving to the left so we could get to the light at Domenigoni and Sanderson. Once the light changed we headed east towards Searl and then to State Street. Rabbit and Digger were a bit slow getting started so I tried to pull them up to the group before State Street. I couldn’t do it so we had to follow the group south on State and through the housing tract at McSweeney and back out onto State for a regroup.
I decided to give Rabbit a head start heading back north on State and waited until he almost made it to the light at Domenigoni before we gave chase. Mush to his bad luck he got the light red and Dragon Slayer was almost on him before it turned green. We all caught him about 50 yards later and took off for Chambers. We worked our way out to Stetson and started towards Columbia. The problem was we dropped Rabbit and so I sent the rest of the group to Fairview and I waited for Rabbit. He was struggling a bit today so I pulled him to the regroup at Fairview and then gave him a head start once more heading north towards Florida.
This time Rabbit stayed ahead of us even after the mad sprint over the bat bridge and to Mulberry. We could see him as we rolled by Florida and Bloodhound mad a strong run at him all the way past the fire station. We caught him shortly afterwards and strung out a bit as we regrouped at Ramona.
Once again we had Rabbit take off and I intended to have Steve lead the group after him but Bloodhound got the jump and then Dragon Slayer and we caught him before we got to Hemet Street. We were cruising at a pretty good clip as we past the light at Lake Street and we on our way to the turn over the dry riverbed and over to Soboba to head back west. We had dropped a rider or two so we regrouped at the light and waited for a full regroup. Bulldozer had already left us when we past his street on Ramona so we were ready to attack the canyon as soon as Rabbit was ready to go.
Dragon Slayer started the pull and had us past the driving range in no time. Before we zeroed in on the last two rollers Steve pulled up front to assist but that only pulled Bloodhound to the front where he slowly extended a lead. As he started up the last roller I took off in a closing sprint and managed to catch him just before the topped out. We regrouped again at the Temple on State.
Rabbit decided to call it a day and headed back to his car as we started south on State. We followed him a few minutes later and made the light at Ramona in short order. Once we started back east the lead group slowly started to pull away from the back markers and I could see they were spread out a bit when I dropped back to get Digger. We could still see them as we got back to Main Street but it looked like they were strung out even more. By Hemet Street we could no longer see them and Digger and I got to the coffee shop after everyone else had parked. However somehow they had lost Kevin and it turned out he had to ride back to Burger King by himself.
We had our coffee and conversation before heading back out to start home ourselves. We still had 9 of the original riders and I was looking forward to the ride home as a group. Before we could get started Steve decided to give us a tire changing demonstration. While I will admit he had some new twist on our normal tire changing such as the Russian tube mount, something he seemed very proud of but don’t ask me how it is done because I use the traditional Dura Max approved American tube mounting system. Still he did a fine job giving the demonstration before we had to leave for Burger King.
Once we got back out onto new Chicago it was more or less all downhill to Lincoln. Lincoln seems like it is downhill as well all the way to Park. We have to be careful at Park because many times it seems as if Highlander started to smell the barn as we close in on Devonshire and if he gets a lead we have to chase him all the way back to the cars. It didn’t happen today and digger and I split off at Palm heading to our respective homes. I got home feeling pretty good and ready for lunch and a shower. The good news was that Garmin had a fix for my sick Garmin Edge that seems to have worked. So all in all it turned out to be a good day and a good ride.
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