Rain over Higginsville Road
16 May 2019
Bloody hell. I haven't posted a bike blog in almost a month. Pardon my absence. I'm finally pulling my head out of my glass.
It's coming up on three weeks since I led the Slugs — Ricky, Jim, and David S (I had to look it up) — on a hilly ride. The wind was bordering on why-are-we-out-here strong.
Ricky met me at my house and we rode up to The Pig. I was already plenty caffeinated, but that didn't stop me from grabbing an espresso. I kind of feel obligated to get something there when I start my rides from their parking lot. I already checked with the owner; he doesn't mind.
Anyway, we stopped to look across the field at the eagles' nest. It was empty.
The route was standard fare. I did my best to keep us under the trees, which served relatively well to protect us from the (I had to check Jim's blog again) 30 mph wind gusts.
After we crossed Route 31 at Rocktown Road I warned the guys that we were in for a rough patch. We were out in the open, headed west, dead into the wind, at the top of the ridge on Rocktown, where there are no trees at all.
We did our usual meet-at-the-cows thing, only there were no cows. Bereft of bovinity, I took pictures of farm equipment and empty pastures instead.
We had shelter again on Alexauken Creek Road.
At Rojo's in Frenchtown we encountered the erstwhile Celeste as she was leaving with another group. It was good to see her again, even for thirty seconds.
In the middle of our coffees I got a text from one of my glassblowing classmates. She had made me a jellyfish. None of us could figure out what that meant. (Look here, about halfway down).
Not wanting to repeat roads, and being on the low side of miles, I put us into the wind again on Harbourton-Woodsville Road. I took some pictures at the top, before the long descent to Bear Tavern Road.
That evening my legs hurt enough that I was worried about keeping up with Tom's Insane Bike Posse on his Raritan Ramble the next day. There was rain in the forecast. I half expected him to cancel.
He didn't, but he did shorten the route. Given the forecast and the state of my legs I didn't ride to the start. I'm glad I didn't.
We started from Rocky Hill and headed west, with almost all of the climbing in the first half. We were on Cider Mill Road when I stopped for pictures. There were cows. I had to.
Ricky circled back. "If you're feeling tired I'll go back with you," he offered, which was mighty kind of him, but I wasn't that tired. "I was taking pictures," I explained.
Not long after that were the first drops of rain. Tom turned us east, and I assumed that meant we were skipping the rest stop and heading back to Rocky Hill.
Nope.
"If I'm out I'm out," Tom said, and turned us north towards the Wawa at Route 202 and Summer Road. He took us up Higginsville Road, where I always stop for pictures.
Our rest stop timing was impeccable. The rain came down harder as we ate and lessened as we got ready to leave.
The route home was relatively flat. I stopped for pictures on the bridge at Route 518 over the canal.
I missed the next Saturday because I was in the glassblowing studio making, among other things, jellyfish. Sunday was pissing down rain, which was just as well because there was an open house and student art show at the studio. (I'm selling my practice pieces for charity. If you want to contribute to the Joseph McBride Memorial Award, click here.)
The Saturday after that was my last chance to blow glass until September, and I took it. Sunday promised more rain, so I got out for a quick spin on Saturday evening. I wanted to find some long, slow hills, so I headed for Pennington and went west to Titusville, climbing out of the valley towards Harbourton.
I'd already been slightly rained on once at this point. I turned east on Harbourton-Woodsville Road and climbed up the back end of Pennington Mountain (it's not a mountain). Then I took the back end of Poor Farm. It was getting on toward 6:30 and the clouds were looking heavy. I got rained on again where Denow crosses Federal City.
As I pulled into my driveway the rain started for real. That didn't stop me from taking a picture of a couple of vinca flowers just because.
And now class is well and truly over until the end of August. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Rowlf, Beaker, I'm all yours. Let's go make up for some lost miles.
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