The alarm went off at 0600 and there was no way I was feeling like getting out of bed. I was up too late last night and inhaled way too much smoke yesterday. I had visited a kitchen fire at the neighbors, then went to a bonfire in the evening and ended with a party in the trailer where there were a lot of smokers so needless to say my lungs were not feeling very good this morning. All I wanted to do was turn over and go back to sleep but I had made a commitment and people were expecting me so I gave myself a pep-talk and crawled out of bed and into a hot shower.
I was feeling much better after the hot shower, I threw on some biking clothes loaded my bike and gear into the car and off I went to Val and Tara's house. I arrived at their house around 0730, got my bike and gear together and the three of us rode to the University of St. Thomas to meet Gordy and begin our ride. After registering we met Gordy and filled ourselves with delicious treats. I had the most fantastic cranberry sweet bread, I had to go back for seconds.
We started the ride a wee bit past 0830. The four of us opted for the 30 mile route which took us along the Mississippi River to downtown St. Paul and the long climb up to a magnificent panorama at Indian Mounds Park where we made our first stop. This time it was cookies and bars! From here we followed Johnson Pkwy to Lake Phalen and along Wheelock Pkwy to Como Lake where we enjoyed a lakeside rest stop. If you choose to do this ride, this is the stop you don't want to miss as they have the best coffee! It's provided by Black Bear Crossings, which is one of my favorite places for breakfast when I'm out on a morning ride. We relaxed a bit at Como, enjoyed the coffee, snacks (more cookies) and music then continued on and finished the ride back at St. Thomas.
We encountered a little rain when leaving Como Park but it quit pretty quick. Once we arrived at St. Thomas were hit with a big downpour. Val, Tara and I tried to wait it out under a tree, Gordy was already in route to his house but we grew tired of waiting and decided just to ride in the rain. It was really chilly willy but their house is only a couple miles from the University and by the time we arrived the rain had quit.
We trudged into the house, changed out of our wet clothes then headed to my all time favorite pizza place... you guessed it, Pizza Luce! mmmmmmm I had been thinking of the garlic the entire ride. The food was delicious as always and afterwards I dropped Val and Tara off at their place and drove on home. This was a very nice ride always one of my favorites. A nice easy casual Sunday morning ride and it was made all the more better by being able to share it with good friends.
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