I had another good ride. I rode 12.1 miles and my average speed was 9 mph and I was in motion for 1 hour and 20 minutes. My top speed was 23 mph coming down a hill on a residential street. One of these days I want to break the speed limit on my bike! Just three more mph's.

I love my bike computer. It is a good way of pacing myself, like spacing out water stops every two miles. I also love the trunk. I don't have to carry anything in my pockets. I highly recommend both.

There are very strong winds here today and that made it more difficult than usual. The headwinds made the nice flat straight-aways, were you can normally do some nice comfortable peddling, feel like I was going up a fairly steep hill!

At one point near the dog park I saw a little sparrow-sized bird sitting in the middle of the trail. It didn't move when I whizzed by it just a few feet away. I turned around and the bird was still sitting there. It was a baby robin that was really lost and confused. When I started going towards it to scoop it up to safety, it went to hide in the shadow of my bike. Poor thing. I scooped it up and walked it about 30 feet away from the trail's edge. I didn't want a playful dog to turn him into a chew toy. It started chirping like crazy as I set him down. I don't know what that was about because he hardly made a fuss when I picked him up and was carrying him. Good deed for the day. It also reminded me that I didn't pack some hand sanitizer in my trunk like I said I was going to after the last trip.

After 8.5 miles I found a picnic table under a shady tree. I made a couple of phone calls, flipped through the paper, had a Luna Bar for brunch, and zoned out a bit watching an Indian family getting ready for a big party under a park shelter.

I heard one of the kids tell someone else that he thought all of his uncles would play cricket so he was going to get the cricket stuff set up. I wanted to stick around and watch them play because I have never seen that, but I didn't know how long it would be before everyone showed up.

After 20 minutes of sitting at the picnic table I walked my bike over to a restroom, walked my bike inside, and used the toilet. The restroom was wheelchair accessible so it made wheeling my bike inside easy.

I then walked over to another larger shade tree far away from the party shelter, laid down in the grass and used the newspaper as a pillow. Heaven! My back was bothering me a bit so this felt really good. I took a rest for maybe 10 or 15 minutes.

I had to walk the bike up two hills on the way home. I think I could feel an improvement in my thighs from last week's trip. I guess every trip my biking muscles will get more developed.

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[Possibly TMI (pronounced "Timmy") after this point.]

The first few times I rode my bike, even though it was for just a mile or two each time, when I got back my man-business felt funny. Numb and tingly. I noticed that Sheri's saddle had a cutout down the center. Did they put a men's saddle on hers? I switched saddles and my junk felt totally fine after this week's ride and last week's ride.

So if you are a guy I highly recommend one of the new seats with a cutout. I am still researching them, but I think a good name that keeps popping up is Terry. I am looking at the Liberator Y Gel or the Liberator Y Saddle.

Liberator Y Gel
$70 List
Performance Bicycle has it on sale for $55.


Liberator Y Saddle
$60 list
Bike Nashbar has it on sale for $45.