The route was about the same until I got to Tavola where I decided to explore new streets. The Bolt computer map helped some until the new streets. I found a street I never new existed but decided to stay in Tavola because the road surface looked rough. The route choice for today was “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” for the 10th ride this year. My Cervelo Caledonia rolled out at 9:24 AM as I was slow getting out the door. After yesterday’s 95 degrees I was a little reluctant to tackle that again but it was cooler than that. The new streets in Tavola started as I turned around on Via Principal Parkway and went back to Gran Roble Drive. I rode Gran Roble before but only about 100 yards where it ended. Now the road is completed and new houses are springing up right and left. When the map ran out I just kept riding north and turning right until I got to New Caney Forest Drive which I was pretty sure would take me back to Via Principal Parkway which it did. After that the route was on familiar streets. The exploring put the distance for the ride at 37.71 miles, not quite the longest ride of the 10 in 2022. A good start towards my 800 mile goal for August.

After several rides through the Rock Creek at Northpark intersection without the dogs they were back today with a twist. The brown and white dog moved to the east side of Rock Creek where I was riding on the greenbelt. He spotted me quickly running alongside about 10 feet away barking loudly. The brown dog was on the west side of Rock Creek barking but not crossing the street. I think the brown and white dog moved because the irrigation system was running on the other side. I had to stop for the traffic light at Northpark and when I did the brown and white dog stopped barking and retreated some. When the light changed I crossed Northpark to the eastbound lanes where the light was red. In front of me was a man and 2 young girls on bikes waiting for the light to change. I asked the man if the brown and white dog bothered them and he said he came out of the trees after they passed by.

A helpful tailwind got me to Tavola without pedaling too hard but the ride back was into the headwind requiring more effort. My legs handled both conditions though I did change from the 35×13 to the 35×15 gears riding from TX 99 on Valley Ranch to Olympic Forest Drive when I made the turn into Forest Colony and out of the headwind somewhat. AXS.SRAM.com ride report showed me using the 35×13 gears for 1:59:31 riding time out of a total 3:00:22.

Weather conditions: start 86 (humidity 71%, dew point 76), partly cloudy, wind S 5 mph; finish 90 (humidity 62%, dew point 75), partly cloudy, wind S 8 mph. Back in Kingwood some streets had damp spots maybe from a quick shower. AT home my electricity had been off long enough to trigger CenterPoint Energy emails. Some clouds to the east looked like they might contain rain but I finished at 12:29 PM without getting rained on.