Riding my day away...

I have no explanation as to why I desire this and really don't need to know why? Nor do I make any excuses regarding this drive, it just is, what it is. I enjoy spending as much of my free time as I can on a bicycle. Today was no exception, I took a vacation day to ride. I would have to say it was my most exceptional  ride of the year. I needed a different flight pattern, so I followed some 4 wheel tracks off the side of a road and into the woods. That began a series of riding up and down hills, trying to hold into one of the two tire ruts on each hill. Many, I almost didn't make, I was on edge of dumping the bike often. One hill I couldn't make it, and one hill I didn't even try. It was a blast. 

After several miles of 4 wheeler hills and almost running my gas tank into empty I found myself back on county roads, allowing me to recover.  The winds picked up, and I could feel the warmth getting sucked out of my body and a chill entering in. 

After being chased by the dog from bicycling hell, I went down a C road that was a steep decent  down steep slabs of exposed bed rock. My senses were on hyper awareness dodging and weaving around rocks from baseball to shoebox size. 

At the bottom of this knee cap breaking decent was my old travel companion, "Heritage Trail" but to keep with the exploratory theme of today's ride I found new paths. Riding tractor paths and gravel roads I ended up in Dyersville Iowa, with 40 of the hardest miles I've had since snow plowing.  

The shortest path to home now was 30 miles, I took it, and if there was any possible way to make it shorter I would have.  Arriving home just as it was getting dark. 

  "Get on your bikes and ride" Queen.