Approaching My Goal...Sort Of

No, that's not the Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail "Main Line Through the Rockies" Cycling and Pedestrian Trail, but it bears a similitude to the colors witnessed today.

Today's ride was so beautiful. The signs of fall were all over, as yellow leaves clustered over the Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail "Main Line Through the Rockies" Cycling and Pedestrian Trail (hereinafter "the bike path") creating colorful tunnels strewn with fallen leaves. The gray skies threatened rain the whole way - occasionally firing a few little warning shots across my bow.

The gnat population has greatly decreased; only about 20 of the bugs were stuck to my shirt (and face) upon arrival back home. Still, having munched on a couple along the way, I recommend against being a mouth-breather until after a hard freeze can finally do away with those critters for the season.

For today's excursion I listened to Azam Ali for most of the ride (including her collaboration with Buckethead), followed by a little Deuter (Elysian Fields and Dämmerschein). This provided a most atmospheric soundtrack for this delightful autumn morning. (Elysian Fields is currently FREE at that link.)

When I got home, I realized that Google Maps allows me to trace my cycling route! Hooray - no more estimating and using the Pythagorean Theorem to gauge my distance - I can actually measure my distance traveled down the bike path. So, today I rode 13.3 miles - my furthest yet (ignoring previously incorrect estimates) - in one hour and eleven minutes.

The good news is, I was also able to plot my exact course to Ryan's house (my goal), and determined it to be 13.7 miles. That means I am nearly at my goal distance! The only problem is, my goal is a one-way ride, since I don't think I'd be able to handle jumping up from a 13-15 mile ride to a 27 mile ride. Also, the last half mile to Ryan's is a very steep uphill. This presents me with a bit of a conundrum.

So now I need to figure out how to actually get to my goal, because I am nearly at the point where my round trip is equal to my one-way goal...so, what's the next step, just go all the way to my goal one-way?

Your thoughts?