Sunday Blues Ride

As most of you know, the reason I'm Fair Weather Kenny is that I have an aversion to exercise in cooler weather. After a week of cool and wet weather, it was 45 degrees when I got up Sunday. I hadn't ridden for a week and it was time to drag out the "cold" weather gear. Cold is in Italics because Bill doesn't consider anything above 32 degrees cold. Anyway, I got out the tights, the under armor, the Gore gloves, and the best investment for a fair weather rider: my Loon teflon coated jacket. Still, I was having 2nd thoughts...I couldn't get my head wrapped around my first cool weather ride since May. Then I had a thought, TUNES! I'll wear my iPod and the music will get me through the ride. A certain portion of the music on my iPod I purchase because I listen to the "radio" portion of iTunes. In that radio section, it's broke down by genre, and I listen to electric blues. As the songs play, the artist and song title scroll on the top of the page. When I hear a song I like, I write it down. At some future time, I'll go through iTunes and buy the songs. For this reason, I have lots of songs I've only heard once and of course, forget I even have them on the iPod. I do most of my listening during the winter, while spinning or running. Anyway, I got the tunes set up, grabbed my camera, and off I went.

My head was cold at first but the rest of me was warm. I left the park and turned onto the NW Expressway, other wise known as Territorial Road. Not a hundred yards down the road, a big, beautiful hawk had landed on a telephone pole. Definitely a Kodak moment! Only thing, I've got these gloves on and the only way I can get the camera out of my back pocket is to stop, take a glove off, take out the camera, and then turn the camera on for the shot. Normally, in warm weather, I can do all this while still on the bike. The hawk watched me do all this, then just as I'm bringing the camera up for the shot, he takes off. Bastard. I watch him fly for a while and it looks like he is off to a grove of trees. So, opportunity missed, I put the camera away, put on the glove, and start pedaling. But wait, he came back to roost on another pole further down the road!

I go through the whole routine again, a little bit further away. I get closer, bring him in focus and start to zoom in. Just as I'm pressing the button down, he takes off! I may have gotten him as he's lifting off the pole.

Well, not quite. That's what I hate about point and shoot cameras. S-L-O-W, even with a high speed memory card.

Time to get going, I'm only 4 miles into this ride. I ride to Fletcher, head down 116 to Corcoran, and turn West on Cty. 10, cross 19 and finally turn South on 123. I get into Hanover and turn East on 117. When I get to 117 & 19, I estimate my mileage when I get home to be about 35 miles, and I want to get 40. I figure if I head South and take the Oakdale loop over to 116 and then head on home that should do it.

I turn on to Oakdale and a song I don't recognize starts coming through my ear phones. Something about a whiskey drinking woman. As I listen to it, I have to stop and see who and what this is. I think the Asian gal walking her ankle biter was getting nervous as I slowed down by her. I didn't think my explanation of a whiskey drinking woman would make her feel any more comfortable.

The song is by Luthor "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and is called "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman." These are the words to the chorus:

I got a whiskey drinkin woman, she gets drunk and wants to start a fight,

She's got me scared to go to work, I'm afraid to come home at night.

Nothing like the blues!

Other artists and songs I enjoyed:

Hang up and Drive, by Jimmy Thackery--Willin' to Burn, by Mark Selby--Black Bottom, by Omar and the Howlers--She's a Golddigger, by Ronnie Baker Brooks--Movin' On, by Lara Price--Detroit Iron, by Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers--Mended, by Ana Popovic

As I cruised along Oakdale, I came upon a farm with some great looking cattle. I figured they couldn't get away from me like the hawk.Well, the bike got in the photo somehow. Bill what have you started????

Aww, ain't he cute? He's Matt's size.

Ended up with 41 miles.