After a couple of weekends deemed by yours truly as too cold and/or wet to ride, we were blessed with beautiful weather here in Houston last Sunday. I had a lot on my plate, so I wasn’t sure whether I would ride or not – that is, not until I logged into my Fitbit app all 1,221 calories of my James Coney Island Sunday lunch – two coney dogs and a pile of chili-cheese fries. At that point, there was no doubt that my Schwinn was going for a ride and I would be on it.

As I left the house, I decided I would re-embark on the Barker Reservoir trail with my goal being to surpass the turnaround point on my last ride. As I rode west along the reservoir, I faced a stiff breeze. I wondered if the breeze would be multi-directional as it seemed on my last ride but I pressed on. As I turned left to head north from my previous turnaround point, I was pleased to enjoy a nice, smooth trail right through the reservoir. I really appreciate that nature is so close by and accessible.

Of course, cycling through nature is not without its hazards. As I approached this day’s turnaround point as Westheimer Parkway, the “pop, pop, pop” from the nearby shooting range grew increasing louder. I was also thankful for the sign reminding me not to swim in the brackish water and to keep my eyes peeled for alligators.

As I turned around at Westheimer Parkway, I noted that I had ridden 11.3 miles thus far. And I was pleased to note, as I turned east between the reservoir and I-10 that the wind was at my back. My ride home was a piece of cake.

I leave for London this Saturday, so I will lose the next couple of weekends to travel. I continue to enjoy my new hobby, and I look forward to daylight savings time allowing me the option to hop on the bike a few evenings a week.

Ride stats:

Cumulative miles 2019: 76.8

Happy Cycling!

Soli DEO Gloria!

(c) kellertxdad.net 2019

Tagged: cycling, Cycling Houston, cycling journal, Energy Corridor, Houston Proud, Schwinn