Yesterday afternoon I finally decided to get crackin\’!

Over the last few months, I brought home bags of unshelled nuts from the salvage store; one bag of peanuts; and one of pecans. I hadn\’t eaten many of them, because sometimes I want a nutty snack, but am in too much of a hurry to crack nuts; and I have bags of bulk-bin almonds and hazelnuts in the freezer. But I was tired of those bags of peanuts and pecans hanging around and taking up space; so I at last got crackin\’ and shelled them all in one marathon session. I put the shelled nuts in containers and stored them in the freezer.

While busy with it, I watched some YouTubes. There\’s a series called, \”How the Earth Was Made\”; and they\’re really interesting. To give only two of the fascinating facts I\’ve gleaned: the volcano Krakatoa is above a kink in a subduction zone; and the Himalayas are still growing!

I then had to get crackin\’ and plan today\’s ride food. As usual, the on-bike menu consisted of things I found in the grab-bag bins at the salvage store. These food items are very high in carbs; and you\’d think I needed quick fuel while I\’m on a ride of several hours. But should I start to substitute other, less carb-y foods for some of those FitCrunch bars?

How about some of the aforementioned nuts? The trouble with nuts is, I tend to need plenty of fluid to wash them down. Then I\’d need to make extra pit stops! I can\’t bring along a little container of nut butter, because I\’d need one hand to hold the container, and the other to scoop out the contents; and I need both hands to ride.

More Crackin\’

I had more crackin\’ I needed to do yesterday; namely, laundry. I use a little hand-powered washer, and hang the stuff up to dry. It\’s rather a nuisance, because I can\’t simply set the machine going and let it work while I get something else done; I am the machine! Another problem is that, in this humid climate, the stuff takes days to dry.

Still more crackin\’: preparing the ride food. I get my electrolyte drink ready the night before so it can chill. It tastes better cold; but soon it will be so warm outside that chilled drinks won\’t stay chilled for long! I also prepare my recovery drink the night before: protein powder in milk. This way, the powder has plenty of time to dissolve. I don\’t know why, but dairy milk works better than any nut milk.

Just before the ride, I cut bars into pieces for easier eating. I fill my Camel-Bak\’s reservoir; and I put an extra bottle of water in the cage on the bicycle\’s seat tube. Last night I pumped up the tires, too, so I wouldn\’t have to do it this morning.

The Ride

Finally, the ride. The wind was from the Northeast, and I got a lot of headwind both going and coming. Gusts were strong; up to 21 mph. Many times I shifted up into a harder gear, only to have to shift back down right away; and it drove me crazy. All the same, I got in 44.5 miles. The weather was clear, and in the 60s. Except for the wind, it was great for riding!