I didn’t plan a week off the bike but it happened. Last Tuesday I started feeling bad and by Wednesday noon I decided to go to the emergency room. After sitting in a 50 degree emergency lobby for several hours they admitted e for a small bowel obstruction. Not the first time this happened to me with last time in May 2014 while my wife and I drove home from a cruise in Miami. We made it to Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa. We found the Florida Hospital thanks to a Walgreens store. The reason I mention the last time, the surgeon at Memorial Hermann Northeast looking me worked at Florida Hospital when I was there in 2014. He also is a cyclist focusing on triathlons. Last Saturday they released me and today I took my first ride, a slow, easy one on the “Atascocita – Walden – E. Lake Houston Parkway” route for a total of 27.7 miles. It felt good turning the pedals.

Starting at 10:35 AM the weather warmed up to 85 with a 7 mph breeze from the north. At the 12:57 PM finish it hit 90 and the wind came from the east at 9 mph. Lurking in the Gulf of Mexico two storms, Marco and Laura, might affect my biking over the next several days. For now Marco doesn’t have the punch Laura could be building up to. As I write this Laura could make landfall late Wednesday around the Texas – Louisiana line.

A strange incident during today’s bike ride after I made the turnaround at E. Lake Houston Parkway heading west I passed an older pickup truck parked on the shoulder with the driver’s door open and sticking out into the road. In front of it in the grass a man a boy roamed about looking for something in the grass. I waved as I rode by but not too long after that I spotted a 20 dollar bill laying on the shoulder. I rode by and then saw another one in the grass. I stopped picked it up and turnaround riding back to the first dollar bill. I picked it up and the boy walked towards me. I saw he had money in his left hand and asked if he was looking for the money I had. He answered, yes, and I handed the two $20 bills to him. Maybe I should’ve asked how they got spread along the road but I didn’t.

With the days off the bike reaching my 800 mile goal looks doomed. Here’s how I stand after today’s ride.

Link to my Strava activity page.