When I saw there was going to be raining on Saturday I was looking for a good ride for Sunday. I was hoping that Jim would do one of his rides our of Blackwell Mills but he was otherwise occupied. So after a couple of emails I decide to lead a ride out of Blackwell Mills myself and do my imitation of a Plain Jim ride.
What I like about the ride Jim does out of Blackwell Mills is that it is an easy no nonsense ride. Its usually around 35 miles with no real hills. The route doesn't really change much so you know what to expect and can just relax and converse with the other people on the ride. Jim gets a slightly different mix of people than my rides some that I don't see that often which is another reason I enjoy his ride.
Although I followed the same route that Jim did, with a few little tweaks, and started at the same location my version was not as good as the original. Probably because of the just warm enough weather to ride on the road and the fact that I was leading I did not get the best turn out. It was me, Laura, Chris, Ricky and Dave.
When we started the ride it was still overcast and we actually ran into a little light rain that would eventually cleared up. As soon as we started Dave said that he couldn't shift because of a low battery on his shifters but was stuck in a good gear so would continue with us. Then a few miles later along Hillsbough road his tire got soft so he decided to turn around.
The weather turned warmer and got sunny as we continued down East Mountain and towards the usual Thomas Sweet rest stop. The wind had picked up blowing 15-20 so we got blown around a little. Unlike Jim I did not get the usual shots of people eating at the rest stop or his usual pictures of the bikes leaning against the walls. I'll take better pictures next time.
We headed towards the canal and over the Griggstown causeway on the way back. On my drive to Blackwell Mills I had see that the causeway was closed due to flooding. I know that Jim would have be anxious about this not knowing if he could cross the causeway or not. I however haven't see a bridge out I couldn't figure a way around so I was not concerned.
When we actually got there the gate was still closed but Candy Cane Chris (in his Christmas tights) shimmied under the gate
and it was clear as soon as we road over the first bridge that the road was clear with just a little water on the right side.
After the causeway Laura turned right for some reason and I had to remind her that Blackwell Mills was the other way. We quickly made it back to the start as the wind was blocked by the trees around the canal. It was a good ride but not as good as a Jim's version so hopefully he will be back leading soon.
