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Tomorrow threatens to bring storms and no ride, so today was a good time to overdo it. The route was pretty simple: over to Midwest Boulevard, north to Memorial Road, over to Douglas Boulevard for a couple of miles, back to Midwest Boulevard, and back home. 
The total distance was about 24 miles, the first time since beginning recovery to ride more than 20. Up around Memorial Road, the Aubrey McClendon memorial has seen no upkeep since about a month after the wreck. I’m waiting to see if the anniversary in March brings any changes.
I really hadn’t planned any photography, but I knew something would call my name once I got out on the road. All of these shots were taken with the bigger camera. It’s not so much that I had a lot on my mind, but aside from the exercise, I knew I needed the outlet for my soul.
I’m still striving to keep my radar attuned to the nature channel, the one that tells me when there’s something worthy of a picture. Creation itself is plenty wise to decide things like that. More than once I caught it as I passed and had to circle back to get the camera out.
At any rate, there wasn’t an awful lot on my mind, just trying to stay in the wordless mode, except the part of me that needs to pray. I forgot to mention that yesterday was Veloyce’s birthday. Mine comes in ten days and I’ll turn 60. I’m just a kid.
But despite stopping for pictures, I still had to stop and rest for a bit at the bridge on my way back. I also didn’t have quite enough water. That’s one of the signs of conditioning — how much water you consume. When I’m in really good shape, it doesn’t take as much water.
Though I was very glad that my right leg was a full-time participant this time, it was my whole body that was tired. It will still take some time for me to recover the conditioning I lost during the four months I wasn’t riding. Then again, riding a mountain bike means slower travel than on a lightweight hybrid or road bike. Still, I’m convinced I need that versatility.
I was pretty badly whipped before I got home. The point is not that you train until you don’t feel it; you train until your body knows how to function when it’s whipped.
Oh, Ed! Absolutely love these pictures. They captured my heart. Sad, though, about the memorial.
I’ve always taken memorials seriously. Not the way everyone else does, as some sacred “thing” in this world, but I’ve always thought the memories we have of people who made a difference in our lives were precious and worthy of some reverence. The stuff of memorials isn’t important at all, but the memories matter.