July 9th (Morning)
Well, already 19° this morning and rising (it’s going to be a hot one this afternoon)! No breeze, no clouds, just lots of sun. It was another gorgeous day to be sure. I definitely felt a bit tired, but that only makes sense as I just had two days of good rides. Seems after a day or two of good riding, I get hit with a “down” day, so this was no surprise. I did make all the hills at Rose Hill again. I took the first hill down at 42 km/h! Pretty fast considering the bumps and ditches I’m bouncing over at that speed... But so much fun! I even let it rip faster than normal over the 2nd hill too.
My bears are abundant, and now in Juniper (or near it anyways). Yesterday alone there were 3 or 4 new “deposits” on that trail alone... Still didn’t see them this morning though, so maybe they’re moving on to greener pastures? Corrie says there were a bunch of forestry guys in a bustle at the park the other day, even had a bucket up in a tree, so not sure what that was about. Maybe a cub stuck in the tree or something?
Anyways, the way down into Peterson’s Creek was good. It is so nice in the mornings, as the hill provides ample shade the entire ride down. It’s cool, and with the extra speed I can get a nice breeze going too. Going up is another storey! The sun is beating down on the west bank of the canyon, and I’m moving at a snail’s pace at best, so it’s warm to say the least. I had 4 stops going up, as my first one was at the beginning again as I fought through the gulley’s after the first two switchbacks and lost... :( I did ride a good portion in the middle, though, even a nice long stretch into the sandy section so that was good to see!
Coming out of the Peterson’s Creek park, I saw a border collie standing watching his owner (a retired man, maybe in his 60’s?). He was so intent on his owner, very focused. He glanced at me once or twice as I rode towards him, but quickly looked back at his owner that was getting water and some balls out of his car. When the owner saw me, he called the dog who sprinted over and sat in front of him. I told the owner that it was neat to see such a well behaved dog, to which he replied “I thought you were saying I was well behaved!” and laughed. Well, they do say that a good dog is generally due to a good owner, so I guess it goes both ways?
The stretches up Springhill and Hugh Allan were tough this morning. I felt pretty tired, and by the time I was pushing up to the crest of the Hugh Allan hill I was hurting. Once again, I was having a hefty argument with my mind (which wanted to stop) the whole way! Yeah, I’m worried that one of these days these arguments are going to become verbal and people will look at me very strangely was I ride up a hill arguing with myself...
July 8th (Afternoon)
Wow, 35° today! I debated about taking the trail down into Peterson’s Creek on the north side of the highway, but when I got to the light at the end of Springhill, it just turned red so I decided against waiting for the light and went my normal route. Going down wasn’t horrible, although I dismounted for the first tough switchback. I rode the section from there to the next switchback, and went through the switchback, with my foot out. Going up was pretty good, even with the heat. I made it in 3 stops, and again rode the middle section where I normally walk meaning that now I walk a very small portion of the entire hill. I noticed at my 3rd stop near the top as I was catching my breath in the shade that even the tubes on my bike were hot to the touch! Well, the black parts were hot, the white parts were warm. But, still, it just shows you how crazy hot that sun is.
Frolek’s land was good, uneventful, but I felt good and rode it at a decent pace. The Rose Hill pipeline section was fun, I made the 2nd to last hill (in middle gear up front, and 2nd at the back) and then I took the bypass again around the last hill. Through to Juniper, I decided to take the main trail home. Not sure why, I guess I just figured the extra 5 minutes in this heat wasn’t worth the bit of fun the pipeline stretch would give me... :)
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