Today I got out for another long ride. I rode to the Bookmill again -- it felt quite a bit easier than the last time I rode there. This time, when riding along the cliffs by the river, I saw columbine. I stopped by the waterfall for a few minutes and then took a longer break at the Bookmill, to drink water and eat some mixed nuts. When I headed back out, I took a different way home: I headed up North Leveret Road and then turned on Cave Hill Road. It was uphill, uphill, and more uphill. None of it was too steep to climb, but I had to stop several times to let my legs rest. Right at the top of the hill is the entrance to the Peace Pagoda, but I was too tired to consider going up there too. I just headed down the hill. I set a new record for downhill speed on this bike: 35mph. It felt faster. I rode on through Leverett and then headed home. It will be fun to mark off a bunch of new roads on my map. In the end, I rode 26 miles at about 9.23mph -- climbing hills really slows me down. Now I can feel virtuous for a day or two. On Wednesday, I'm taking my bike in to get the bottom bracket replaced -- hopefully that way I'll have a few days to test it out before our trip to Gettysburg.
I'm getting really excited about the trip. I went through my camping stuff to make sure my stove still works. I shouldn't have worried -- it's a whisperlite and still works fine. I'm begining to plan menus and figure out stuff I want to be sure to bring. It should be a great time.