Another Day

I was in a car last Saturday - had to drive stuff to the FAB Helmet Hut. I’ll be in a car this Saturday - have to take stuff to the Sanford Biking For Breast Cancer Ride and sit at a rest stop. That 50 mile ride would get me a long way toward my 150 goal for the week.

Ironic – the more I try to do with groups of bicyclists the more I drive. Oh well.

The Weather Channel Dot Com Hourly Forecast nailed this morning’s weather. Rain much of the night stopping around 6 or 7am. Perfect. Moist pavement begging to give me a flat, but I wasn’t going to get drenched. The most wet I got was riding through sprinklers at Lowe’s. I sure love it when big box retail inappropriately waters the lawn.

The Weather Channel didn’t quite have the afternoon hours correct but conditions weren’t any worse.

Previously I’ve been reluctant to ride over lunch because it doubles the amount of time I spend in a bathroom stall changing clothes and walking through the building looking like a bike messenger - or an alien. Besides I worry someone might get the wrong idea. I have a wide stance.

But I’ve got a goal this week.

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The skies were constipated.

I had some FAB funds to deliver to the bank so I selected a branch a decent distance away. I started on the west side bike trail to get one last ride there before they shut it down for much needed reconstruction. I never worry more about pinch flats than I do on that stretch.

I took the Madison Ave cutoff, stopped off at the bank and proceded into downtown for dining. I had a tough time deciding between Mama’s Ladas, the Phillips Ave Diner and Chef Amy’s Café 334, formerly known as Kristina’s Café 334.

Café 334 narrowly won – mostly because I wanted to be able to say I ate lunch under the Snakepit. I had lunch under the Snakepit. I had Bibb, Bacon and Bleu – except they were out of bibb lettuce, is spinach ok? And tomato bisque soup. I was happy to find they kept some of Kristina’s best items on the menu.

It’s funny they were out of bibb lettuce because it reminds me of an embarrassing conversation I had with my local veggie grower this summer. First, as I waited for my order I wondered how far the lettuce travelled to get here. I learned recently that bibb lettuce doesn’t grow in this area after a couple weeks into June.

I’d gotten accustomed to CSA bibb lettuce for lunch – and then they stopped having it. So I asked – is there every going to be more lettuce? No. Lettuce doesn’t do well in the summer heat, come back next year. Going in to this CSA deal I thought I knew a little bit about eating in season foods. I LEARNED a little bit about eating in season foods from that conversation.

I had naughty dessert too.

On my way out I watched a guy retrieve his bike and knock mine over. I greeted him as he was picking it up. He was very apologetic. I told him it’s ok, but that I was still going to blog about him tonight.

The skies remained constipated.

24.9 miles today – 93.9 miles for the week with 3 days to go for 150.