Personal Best

It was already heating up today when Jack and I left on our bikes at just after 7am. We did a ride that he'd done before, but I'd not done. First we rode the 8 miles to Saguaro National Park East (which I had done twice), stopping a couple of times along the way, while we tried to figure out what was making the dragging sound on my bike. It really sounded like the brake pads were touching my wheels, but.. wasn't the case.

This remained a mystery till we got to the first shelter at the entrance to the park. I said something about that noise on my bike, as we entered, and a nice and friendly fellow cyclist asked, "Mind if I have a look?" :) He adjusted something on my crank arm and said that I should be fine till I can get a tuneup. Cool.

After a pleasant rest there and refilling our water stores, we took off on the park's Loop Drive, the part that I had not done. As you can see at this link, there are some cool hills here, beginning with an amazing downhill run. I did stop twice on the big uphill. Once I stopped because I was going just 3.3 mph and the bike wasn't tracking well, so I walked it for a piece, till I got my lungs back. At another point on the huge hill, I had to stop, because I was getting asthma tightness in my chest and had to rest and relax my lungs for a bit.

But I did it! And when we were just about done with the loop, we detoured and took the picnic loop, too.

By the time we got back to Far Horizons, we had logged 25 miles -- a personal best for me! YAY! It was 95° when we got back at 11:30 am, and it warmed eventually to 103° for a high. I know what they say about "dry heat," but .. 103 is just plain hot.