I rotated routes to the north for variety. I drove to Brookshire Brothers in New Caney to start north of the Grand Parkway construction. According to the paper the construction should be over sometime this year; the sooner the better for biking. Leaving Brookshire Brothers at 1:22 I rode north along the US59 service road to north of Patton Village where I moved to the road on the east of the railroad tracks. This was to add a little distance to the ride since I wasn’t sure how long this route would be. I was hoping for 30+ miles and ended up with 30.4 miles. For some reason the wind was tough going to the south and southeast. The weather showed it to be 6 mph but it felt like 15 mph. Maybe my legs are still recovering from yesterday’s ride.

To add miles I went north of Splendora to East River Road turning left under US59/I-69 to ride back to FM2090. From Splendora I rode west to Grangerland. The sign in Splendora says Grangerland is 12 miles but it is only 10 miles by my Garmin 510. At Grangerland I went left on FM3083 towards New Caney. At the FM1485 and FM3083 intersection I stopped at the Valero station to snack and drink some sport drink. The wind was drying me out. I figured it was about 8 miles from the Valero to Brookshire Brothers; it turned out to be 8.2 miles. I reached my 30+ mile goal. Average speed was 15.8 mph. Not riding through residential areas helps me get up to speed quickly and stay at a steady pace.

While I was inside the Valero I had a nice conversation with a lady while I was at the fountain machine. She asked how far I was riding and said she thought she saw me on FM2090 before. She said the Valero was 2.5 miles from her home and she walked there sometimes. Today she drove.

No other bikers today and no dog chases. I miss the first but not the second.

More nice biking weather tomorrow: 80 degrees and partly cloudy. I hope to be on the road. I tried to watch the Volta a Catalunya today but the TV signal was bad due to rainy weather there.

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