Long Ride at Whiting and Webster

I took another vacation day and decided to spend the morning riding. I went to Whiting and Webster Park. Last time I was there it was a disaster with crazy amounts of mud and water from the spring rains. There is very little mud there now, but the once muddy parts are still scarred with ruts and depressions. It's totally rideable, just bumpier.

With all the riding I've been doing I've been feeling stronger. This definitely showed during today's ride. While it still took a strong effort to climb the hills I always ride, I succeeded every time and was not nearly as out of breath as in the past.

I rode the red trail in both directions. This is the hardest trail in Whiting and I rarely ride it. Riding south to north, there was one hill climb that was too much, a big log, and a short section of crazy tall roots that I stepped off for. Going north to south, I was able to climb everything, except the tall roots section which is part of a climb. The big log got me again. Oh, I did have get off for a step up to the boardwalk. It's narrow and there are railings that make it difficult to side hop up.

I saw an old coworker and chatted for about 10 minutes. It was good to catch up a bit, but I prefer to keep riding. I encountered a couple with a few dogs, and their small dog was afraid of me. I had to walk about 20 feet off the trail before it was willing to pass by! The owners were laughing so much. They didn't know their dog was afraid of unicycles! Later another little dog walking way ahead of its owner decided to climb a hill with me. But halfway through he turned around and started growling. I dismounted and made friends before starting the climb over.

Overall, it was a good strong ride. Both cycle computer and GPS agreed with about 15.5 miles.

Muni at Whiting and Webster Park - 2011-07-01