January 10, 2024
Team of five
So this is just another ride up Treat Street and east on the Loop along Rillito Wash - a ride we’ve seen before just a few days ago, so there’s not much important to say about it. No roadrunners or other interesting bird or wildlife sightings, for example. And no family drama, unless you count the fact that Rachael forgot her jacket at a pit stop and I had to go back for it, rescuing it from a cute puppy nosing at a sleeve wondering if it was his new chew toy.
Still though, there’s always something worth reporting. For example, Susan was here. She rode over from her apartment less than two blocks away, brought her bike Vivian George inside until we were ready to leave, and then proceeded to photobomb my shot of it next to Rachael keeping herself warm by the heater.
And, there’s the news that Janice showed up to join us. This will be the second time we’ve ridden with Janice, after our first time with her here last winter.
And she dragged Barry along for the ride. This is a first for us, since he was feeling indisposed last winter and missed the earlier ride.
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11 months ago
The ride through the university campus and north on Treat were the usual delight, but it was even more fun this time to be riding it as a long, strung-out train.
As soon as we reached the Loop we stopped and took plenty of time to admire the long new mural that we showed you earlier. While we’re stopped, Susan impressed us all by biking along with one hand, holding the phone in the other to create a slow, panning view of the mural. We hope you appreciate her doing this for your viewing pleasure, and share in our relief that she didn’t lose control and tumble down into the wash - although it would have made for some exciting footage on the descent!
And I hope you appreciate that in doing this she captured an action shot of Kelly, who just happened to be coming our way at the same time. You’ll notice that there’s no visible reaction from either one of them as they pass each other, unsurprisingly since they’d never met before today. I had to holler to Susan to come back and get aquainted.
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And then we continued upwash, with a brief stop to use the loo and another soon after for me to bike back and rescue Rachael’s jacket.
We biked as far as Speedway, where the southside trail ends. We could have crossed the bridge and continued on the other side, but the route I’d mapped out said to turn back here, and so we did.
On the way back, we overshot our route so that Rachael could video us passing the mural. And then we biked back past it again two miles later, so there was time for Rachael to swap out the dead battery in her GoPro so she could try again.
And then we biked home - back down Treat Street and through the University, and then past Susan’s house so she could drop her bike off and change clothes, etc. And then the other four of us biked to our place so the Branhams could load their bikes into their motorized vehicle, everyone could change clothes, etc.
And then we all drove to Locale for an early dinner, where Barry and Janice impressed us by both ordering desserts large enough to share with friends, which one of them did but found no takers as the other three were beyond stuffed already.
And then at the last minute as we’re walking to the car Susan remembered that we should really have a photo of the five of us to remember this excellent day by. Thanks, Susan - for remembering this, and for creating the cool mural video, and for supplying several of the photos shown here.
And thanks to you too Janice and Barry, for joining us on this excellent day and for modeling those delicious-looking desserts so we’ll know to save some room next time!
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11 months ago
11 months ago
Video sound track: Grandfather’s Waltz, by Stan Getz
Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 1,067 miles (1,717 km)
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