Far Too Long

The weather in Idaho recently has been much less than ideal for normal spring/summer weather. We're a month or so behind the rest of the world, it seems. We have psych-summer weather spurts - just as we get out the door to enjoy a beautiful day the wind starts blowing really hard, dark clouds begin to roll in, and then rain (or snow) will begin to fall. Gotta love Idaho; if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

With all of the random and unpredictable weather conditions that has been toying with our minds I have had a growing itch to get outside...for longer than five minutes. It's like a bag of popcorn - and I'm the corn kernel. Hear me out on this. The popcorn bag is thrown into the microwave and turned on. As the heat rises the corn begins to do a little exciting jig because it's about to pop. And just when the temperature is right, POP! It becomes popped-corn. That's how I am when the seasons begin to turn from spring to summer, minus the little exciting jig part. My excitement comes out in the form of a little kid getting an ice cream cone. Pure glee. Long story short, I am excited when Idaho gives us a really nice day that lasts longer than five minutes. Today was one of those days.

It has been far too long since I have been able to get a really good ride on my bike, so today I set out to fill this void with three distinct purposes. And with temperatures estimated to be in the low 80's I couldn't pass this opportunity up. The purposes for my ride were 1) getting out to do something that I love and that brings balance, 2) learning how to ride with my sweet new slick aero bars, and 3) to learn how to ride with clip pedals. The third purpose would be taken on after my ride. I'm not as hardcore as some people I know (Sandra) that go out to learn how to use clip pedals on a ride. I'll take my time in a parking lot.

With no real direction or route in mind except the country roads I headed south. Getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city and into the country was wonderful. The wind wasn't calm, but definitely not a bother either. The sun was shining bright keeping me at a perfect riding temperature. It was almost perfect. Without having my odometer on my bike I had no idea how far I had ridden so I decided just to do a big loop instead of retracing my route. It ended up being 23 miles, which was more than I had expected or felt like I had biked. (Take a look at my route here).

I stopped off at the local bike shop on my way back home to see about having the stem switched out. I'm a bit stretched out across my bike, which causes some discomfort on extended rides. Stan, the owner, taught me how to determine the right stem length to get and helped pick one out for me. He had the mechanic trade them out even though I did not have my cards to purchase it. Somehow I earned Stan's trust and he allowed me to take both stems with the promise I'd come back next week to pay for it. I was shocked and very pleased. Just the quarter mile ride back to the house I noticed a substantial difference.

I walked out of Bill's bike shop and was hit with a wall of wind. The sun had been masked with dark clouds and the temperature had dropped because of the wind. I was glad that I wasn't too far from home, but was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to learn how to ride with my clip pedals. Overall, it was a fantastic ride; exactly what I needed. And done within the perfect window of time. I'm looking forward to another summer-like day to get out on my bike again; it's amazing what a bike ride can do for you.