Roasting on the roads

Saturday means bike day!  It was a beautiful sunny day in the low 80s.  We were having trouble deciding where to go, though.  We wanted to go to Espresso Huis in Schuylerville, but that is only (relatively speaking) a 25 mile round trip ride.  What we decided to do was make a giant loop de loop to get there, with a lunch stop earlier in the ride.

I was excited:

me

 

On a side note – I need a haircut!  We slathered on the sunscreen and headed out.  This is the main route out of town that gets you to the northway.  It’s a busy road and a fast road, but it does have a wide shoulder designated as a bike lane.  There are some nice views, too.

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I got excited because I thought I saw a goldfinch, but then I realized it was fake.

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My biking companion!

john

We were twins on accident, too.  Our destination was Mr. Bill’s!  We haven’t been here yet this year.  We got here around mile 12 or so.

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It’s a 50s carhop – complete with music. This statue is very iconic:

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I had a grilled cheese sandwich.  That basket of fries was what came with John’s scallops – big enough to share!

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After enjoying our lunch, we circled around to head south.  It was hot and sunny and not much shade.  We ended up going to our favorite River Road way.

We got through the hill portion and I was sooooo hot and sweaty!  At the top, I thought I was starting to bonk, so I had some pineapple.

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This was probably 25 miles on the day?  It turns out that I think I just got overheated and wasn’t really bonking.  I definitely wasn’t feeling that great. After a bit of a rest, we went another 5 miles to Espresso Huis!  Mile 31.

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We really like this place.  Wish it was a little closer to home and we would come more often during the week.  We both had the same thing – iced chai latte and cuppicakes!

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You know you want to see a close up of that, right? Chocolate coconut!

cuppie

There is a local baker that does the baked goods for them.

After a nice rest in air conditioned comfort and the refilling of bottles with ice water,  we headed home.  That heat episode really wiped me out, though.  I drafted off of John most of the way home (thanks, J!).

We had to take a detour because the bridge is out on our normal route home and we passed a cool dam on the canal.

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Then another cool thing – I could hear the Ospreys calling.  There is a nest along route 4 and they have babies now.  I stopped way back here to get a picture because she was disturbed by us, I think.

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Of course, we did have to go by it anyway, but I didn’t want to freak her out by standing below the nest. You could see a little movement in the nest.  It would have been cool to see an aerial view.

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I heard another one really close and we looked right up over our heads and saw the mate!

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He stared down at us for a bit.  I half expected him to dive down on us, but he didn’t.    Happy nesting, Ospreys!

 

And then finishing up the ride:

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Total miles:  46.6

Average speed 13.4 mph

Top speed:  33.1 mph (big downhill!)

Calories burned: 1452

 

Note to self. Just because it isn’t humid doesn’t mean it isn’t hot.  We need to stick to morning and/or shadier rides at these temps.

12 thoughts on “Roasting on the roads

  1. debby

    LOL at the goldfinch sighting. But SUPER IMPRESSED with your osprey shots. There is an osprey nest near my BF’s house, and I would see it when I took walks, but I never really saw the birds or heard anything.

    You are really excelling at the close up shots. What a great ride. But yes, please be careful of getting overheated or bonking(?) Going to look up the definition of bonking now!

  2. Shelley B

    Great osprey pics – you have an eagle eye (haha) when it comes to spotting birds…even fake ones!

    I’m surprised you’re not more cautious with riding during the heat of the day, especially considering you don’t have to deal with hot temps (seemingly) all the time, like in other parts of the country. Heat really takes a toll when you’re putting out so much effort with exercising.

    1. Lori Post author

      The heat part kind of caught me by surprise. It was only 81, which is so much lower than the heat wave we had, so it shouldn’t have made me feel the way I did. John was fine, but whatever beams crossed and hit me hard was not expected.

  3. Satu

    You look absolutely radiant in the first picture. 🙂

    It think your influence has rubbed on me because I’ve started thinking that I could renovate (i.e. repaint) my bathroom myself. Time will show whether I will actually do it or not.

  4. Jody - Fit at 55

    I am on food love overload with the cupcakes & man that basket of fries – HUGE!!! I am a kid – the ice cream sign cracked me up!! Oh well! 😉

    I just got a cut but I needed color bad too but have to stretch that out longer – now I can see more of it! :O

    Comment luv will not work here or elsewhere for me right now so… it is not you – I have had issues with certain blogs for weeks now! 🙂

    http://truth2beingfit.com/2013/07/28/gratitude-monday–headbands-of-hope.aspx

  5. Fran

    What a beautiful ride Lori, beautiful shots of the ospreys and the cupcakes 🙂

    I was surprised by the weather too last Saturday. It turned out to be hot, humid and no wind, hadn’t expected that LOL

  6. Lori's Better Half

    You can draft anytime, and you made that cupcake look better than I remember it!

  7. Tami@nutmegnotebook

    It can be difficult sometimes to balance out the right amount of food when bike riding long distances. I read that long lasting carbs like oatmeal are good for avoiding bonking. The bird nest is amazing.

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