Ride 10 - A Nice Long Ride

On the Lower Yahara path. 6/2/24

 Sunday's ride took a different look at familiar parts of Madison. I rode straight to Lake Monona, took a right turn and did a counter-clockwise ride around the lake to where I started, then rode down the Capital City Trail.

 When I reached the Lower Yahara River trail, I headed over to McDaniel Park on the edge of McFarland, then turned for home 16 miles away.

 Over years of riding some of my best experiences have been chance meetings along the way where a conversation is struck and you get to know someone pretty well in a short time.

 It was 12 miles into the ride when a guy in bright yellow jersey rode up; we rode at the same pace. I asked how far he was riding, he said he was training for a ride across Iowa later in the summer (the ride is known as the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa or Ragbrai). We rode together more than 20 minutes when our paths diverged, 

He was from Iowa originally, where I went to school and is the home state of my bride. We also shared a profession, he still works in journalism and discovered a connection to where I went to high school. Even on a bike, it's still a small world.  

The boardwalk ends at McDaniel Park. dwm

The day was practically perfect, clouds gave way to sun, which warmed temps into the low 80s, with a light breeze.

On my way to the Capital Springs recreation area, I saw cars backed up in both directions waiting for two cyclists to cross the road. When I got closer, I saw what was happening, the women were escorting a snapping turtle to safety. 

The ride to McFarland on the Yahara trail adds five miles to the ride. I turned around at McDaniel park for the trip home, which is sometimes a ride by itself because the ride there and back is 32 miles. 

The bike computer hit 3 hours on the bike just after I hit the 46-mile mark, a nice average speed of 15.3 miles per hour. The full ride was 47.5.