Latest picture of the Safari!

Here is the latest picture of the Safari with new gear added.  There is now a handlebar bag to hold valuables and essentials, a Cateye Velo 9 cycling computer, a Blitzu USB chargable light, a smart phone holder so I can use the Ride with GPS app for tracking and turn by turn navigation, and in the picture is a Brooks B17 saddle that I will be returning.  Oh yeah there are now Planet Bike fenders to keep road grime and water off me and my gear.  The panniers have a few things in them in this picture so I can get used to riding with them loaded.  This picture was taken before today's 28 mile ride that is discussed in the post below this one.

28 miles!

I just completed my longest ride yet.  27.8 miles!  Yet another beautiful ride through the country roads of Clark County.  I tried out a new saddle today in hopes I could eliminate the sore butt issues I've been having.  No luck with this saddle!  I did a bunch of research and found that the Brooks leather saddles were highly recommended.  One of the problems is that they are leather and take many miles to break in and form to each rider's rear end.  Some people were saying it took a few hundred miles to break them in and others were saying they have ridden over 1,000 miles and it was still not completely broken in.  Well I rode 28 miles and it was painful after 10.  I can't imagine toughing it out for 1,000 miles!  That would be ridiculous to me.  So this saddle i going back to REI and I will try something else.

Other than the pain the saddle caused I really enjoyed the ride.  There are some beautiful country roads in Clark County.  Before I started my ride I paid for the basic subscription to the Ride With GPS app so I could take advantage of the turn by turn navigation and some other really nice features.  I am VERY happy with the turn by turn feature.  It would tell me when a turn was coming up and where to go, so, needless to say, I didn't get off track today like I did last weekend.  It's always nice to not get lost!

Below is a link to today's ride:

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9188746?privacy_code=8WMfe7Y9gq0mUyhX

Misty mountain morning ride

Got up this morning and planned out a 15 mile ride out to Battle Ground Lake State Park.  I ended up missing a turn and didn't realize I was off my route until I finally stopped and checked Google Maps. Thank you technology otherwise I might still be riding around in the hills east of Battle Ground!  It ended up being a little over 19 miles with some fairly steep climbs.  The steepest of which was an 11% grade!  My steepest until today was 7%, so that was fun to get to the top of.  I saw a lot of beautiful countryside and got to think about what it will be like riding this summer.  One thing that will be different than today will certainly be the weather.  When I got up into the hills today I was pretty much in the clouds and getting wet.  I'm pretty sure late June and July will be quite a bit warmer and drier.  I haven't blogged in quite a while.  I just didn't think I should blog everything, but while I was riding today I thought otherwise.  I think it would be better if I did blog more regularly as I prepare for this summer's ride.  So I'll try to do that. I tried out a new app today that tracks and maps my rides.  There is a link below.  I plan to post my daily rides while on tour.

On the map on the link below you will see a point marked with a number 10, that's where I realized I was off my route and turned around.  Also the Ride With GPS map will allow you to push play in the lower right hand corner and follow my ride.  It will slow down when I am going slow climbing a hill, speed up when I'm going down a hill, and even stop while I stop to figure out I'm lost.  lol


https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9066240