Two Beers and a Whine day...................(March 31: Day 28--Vanderpool, TX)

So says Roberta....though I think she meant to it to be spelled 'wine'.  In layman terms, it was a hard day...a short, yet challenging day.  The climbs were steep and long--up to 13% and ten miles long.  I can't find anything to which that can be compared, but it is steep and requires a lot of work.  I was in my 'granniest' of granny gears, and steadily climbed the long, long ascent....and kept my heart rate around 140!  So I am getting better at knowing when and how to shift and use my cadence to my advantage. The picture below is from my bike computer, and shows the actual elevation gain and loss from yesterday's ride.

The last descent for me was nerve racking.  I had dropped my chain just before the ascent (still learning to shift, remember....), so my hands were greasy, as well as sweaty. The descent was a -8% on a slightly windy road, but the road surface was very rough.  My hands ached and slipped once or twice as I feathered the breaks. I actually stopped several times because I did not feel I had good control of the bike.  With clean, dry hands and a good surface, that descent would have be a riot!  Not today, though...I wasn't feeling it! I finished up around noon, had a beer, then promptly fell asleep for an hour or so.....in my sweaty, stinky clothes.....the beer did me in. 

~~Okay~~ this is boring.......that ride was on Weds....it is now Saturday.........yikes~~missing time~~~  Have I been sucked into a time warp, a wrinkle in time........do I have multiple personalities..(don't answer that)...where did the time go?

Lack of internet is the first answer, and there are two other answers

1. I just haven't had the time
2. My head wasn't into blogging~~I had to shift my attitude, and while I was in a funk, I didn't want to spread it by blogging, or otherwise, which rolls me into my next blog......

So...read on, my friend..

Pictures never do the scenery justice, but enjoy.  This was at the top of one of the climbs.