Saturday, March 7, 2009

No Bull

We biked just over 100 miles today, from Youngsville to Black Creek NC and back. It was our first 'English Century'. The route is mostly flat, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Traffic was very light, and drivers were mostly courteous. Surprisingly, there was an abundance of clean, open convenience stores nicely distributed along the route. As the day progressed, we stopped at more and more of the convenience stores to rest and refresh.

Community Service: About two hours into our ride, we passed a big pile of glass shards along the road. It looked like someone had tossed a few bottles out of a passing car. We scrambled and avoided it, but couldn't continue onward and leave the pile there for other bikers to hit. We doubled back, dismounted, and spent a few minutes shusshing glass off the road with our shoes.

When we arrived at our turn-around point in Black Creek, we were pleasantly surprised to find a small open grocery store on the main street. We bought drinks there, and sat outside resting and eating lunch.

After leaving Black Creek, we encountered a small herd of cattle on the road. They had apparently broken out of their fence and were headed for a freshly planted field across the road. Luckily, two guys pulled up as we arrived. They got out of their cars, put on their cowboy hats, and issued the secret sounds and hand gestures which instructed the cattle back into their fence. We hung back, and happily let them demonstrate their masterful skills.

Total miles: approximately 102
Overall time: 10.5 hours
Interctive map: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2615784
A few photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/sagittandy/YoungsvilleBlackCreekCentury

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