IT WAS A DAY of goodwill and pleasant greetings between my fellow trail users and me.  Having one last holiday card to deliver to local friends, and since the weather was very mild and pleasant, I didn't want to waste such a gift so I charted a course and set off.

Before leaving, I finally got around to getting the phone mount installed so that I can follow a route that I've created online.  I like this mount overall but it has one truly annoying property: the hex bolts all have a raised "pin" in their centers, so a special hex wrench is required.  I cannot for the life of me think why this was done, except perhaps as a theft deterrence measure.  But really?  Who steals a phone mount that is bolted to a bike's handlebars, anyway?

Having laid out my route it was simply a matter of following the plan (or deviating and letting Google Maps play catchup...)

I was mildly surprised at some of the routing choices GM made but they proved not only to be pretty good but also educational.  It routed me through neighborhoods I thought I knew well but still managed to reveal a few hidden gems I'd either never before ridden or had long since forgotten about.

Historically I've not ridden the eastern half of this route very much (in some cases, not at all) so it was nice to see some new scenery.  It mixed bike trails with suburban residential streets for the most part, although there was a brief segment in each direction that unavoidably routed me on quite busy suburban arterial roads.  Thanks to it being Christmas Eve, though, there wasn't the usual traffic volume to contend with.

At one point a guy in a tricked-out and restored Karmann Ghia tooled past, and pulled up at the traffic signal a few feet ahead.  Pulling level with him I could see the passenger side window was down so I registered my appreciation.  "I bet you're the only kid on your block that has one of these."  That produced a big smile and "Yep!"

At another point, close to home, I encountered a pedestrian walking toward me.  I didn't immediately recognize him (and in fact have failed to figure out where we've seen one another before) but he clearly recognized me.  "We meet again!  Nice day to be out for a ride." was how he greeted me.

Earlier, I had chanced across a twenty-something woman on a small-wheeled bike.  I stopped and remarked "They may have small wheels, but they're mighty!".  She smiled shyly and admitted hers has electric assist.  "But I only use it going up hills", she assured me solemnly.  "I can go as far as 20 miles."  It gets her out and she obviously enjoys it, so it's a win.

A bit down the path from that a fellow with one pannier and a handlebar bag took note of my full load so I pulled up for a quick chin wag.  Explaining I was training for next summer's tour he expressed envy: "I sure wish I could do that!"  He's got the right bike for it: a shiny new Trek 520 of which he was obviously proud (and not without reason).

By the time I got within 4 miles of home it was clearly time to knuckle down and "git 'er done".  But, at nearly 30 miles (with a few ups), it's a satisfactory result for where I am, where I started, and the time of year.