Going, Going...

Heading out for a ride that promises to be more elongated than elevated. News at 11.
...gone!

It is now 11 - 11 a.m. in Vanuatu; 11 p.m. in Cape Verde.
In case you were wondering.

It takes some people quite a while to find their niche. Some never do. Take Bill. Working for years in his chosen profession. And doing a fine job, I might add. But today's ride made it clear he has missed his true calling. He should have been a hunting dog. In one day he managed to scare up a turkey, a doe with her fawn and an entire pack of dogs. In addition, he had close encounters with a horse, a cardinal and a squirrel bent on suicide-by-bike.

The ride? After climbing Bliss and II, it was a run along highway 33 to Cashton. This followed by a tour through an area of Amish farms, where said encounter with horse occurred, on the way back to Westby. Not stopping at Coon Valley, it was straight up County PI. Really. STRAIGHT up. Or so it seemed at the time. Back through Barre MIlls for a climb up FO. Then a little extra riding around on the ridge before dropping down Bliss and home. The extra riding? I needed only a few more miles to turn the ride into the first century of the year.

The result: A long ride. 100.5 miles to be precise. And while my climbing rate was a mere 53.9 feet per mile, that works out to a total of 5,414 feet. The most elongated, elevated ride of the year. Just in time, being only 33 days (and 11 hours, 36 minutes, 19 seconds ~ but who's counting) until departure for Kalispell and the Glacier / Waterton ride.