A spring time bike ride in the country was the theme for today’s ride. There were a small smattering of wildflowers but no Blue Bonnets on the route I was on. I did see a number of other bikers west of Splendora and by Grangerland. Sometimes I have to remind myself when I ride today’s route that I am only 2o miles from the Houston city limits but the surroundings are pure East Texas. There are plenty of tall pine trees with some occasional cattle and horses. I like this route because the traffic is usually light and the roads have nice shoulders and smooth pavement. Today I found out that a section of FM 1314 east of SR 242 had been widened and the asphalt was nice and smooth. The shoulder had been widened some. The major change was to add a center lane.

I found some more remnants of the string wrapped around the big ring on the crank. I removed this last evidence of the troublesome string. The chain lube I use can be messy so I have wiped down the rear rim. The only reason I am using it is because I do not want to remove the chain without the proper tool and pin for the Shimano chain. My preferred chain lube is Gulf Wax paraffin. It is not messy and when you touch it there is no mess. You have to lube the chain more often and it is best to use a quick link of some type. So I am waiting for the chain to show some wear and then replace it.

Today’s weather was very comfortable for riding. The 70 degrees at the start was fine and the 82 at the finish was not bad. Humidity was fairly low considering the cloud cover. Wind was only 7 mph from the north away from home.

This was the first long ride since my dog crash back on March 19th. Only one dog encounter and the dog was not really committed to chasing for more than 40 to 50 ft. I was watching for him but he was in a place I was not looking at. A 22 mph sprint quickly escaped him and a following pickup truck probably helped.

April mileage update:

• April miles 55.22
• YTD miles 881.89

4-02-2011 SporytTracks Ride Data and Map

4-02-2011 Home Weather Station

Additional charts, weather and map.

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