We decided to skip the Dream Ride yesterday. Too much to do, and we had a party to go to in the evening.
However, the weekend weather being pretty decent for July, we did want to go ride in Lancaster County anyway. So, we went today, and did our own self-directed cue sheet ride.
We chose a "flat" ride from the Lancaster Bicycle Club's web site -- the CVHS-NH-Airport3 ride (Conestoga Valley High School-New Holland-Airport).
Now, this is what a "flat" ride in Lancaster County means:
| Terrain Classification | Average Grade | Climb (ft. per mile) | Steepest Climb (1/4 mile minimum) |
| Flat | 1% | < 45 ft. | < 4% |
So, no, the ride technically wasn't flat. It was rolling. It was, in fact, hillier than rides I've been on in Central New Jersey that were classed as "hilly" (mostly because they included overpasses . . .). There were a couple of good-sized hills that we rolled down, rather than biked up. Thank goodness. I wasn't up to hill-hammering today.
We did 44.4 miles total, including a 1.3 mile detour, at about mile 23, to go to the Freez & Frizz. The F&F is an ice cream/fast food stand similar to Dairy Queen, but much, much better. It's a local institution, and a worthy stop on any LC ride (as is any location of Twin Kiss). I had a large chocolate soft serv cone; hubby (who hates soft serv) had an ice cream sandwich.
Turns out we actually needn't have detoured to go to F&F, because the ride took us directly past it, at about mile 35 or so. Tho' I would not have wanted to wait that long to eat something. The only other food I had during the ride was a Dove dark chocolate bar. (Chocolate-powered rides are a specialty of mine, you may have noticed.)
This was a nice ride, and one we'll definitely do again. It had a Sheetz at about Mile 10, a Hess at about mile 18, and the F&F not long after mile 30. The remainder of the ride was quite rural, for the most part, and a lot of it was in Amish country. We saw numerous buggies in the early afternoon, and passed a couple, as well. We also passed several Amish schoolhouses (which have unlocked outdoor privies . . . very important in winter, when there are no cornfields or other "green doors" available).
We had a nice dinner after the ride. We decided to go to one of those Pa-Dutch family-style restaurants. Good 'n Plenty, which we've been to before, is closed on Sundays, so we went to Plain and Fancy Farm. Good stuff. We had fried chicken, ham loaf, and chicken pot pie, along with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, and buttered noodles. Dessert was an apple dumpling. (No, I didn't exceed my food budget for the day. 44.4 miles burns some serious calories. Besides, I've learned how to eat at these types of restaurants: you eat the stuff that's worth it, eschew the stuff that's not, and take only reasonable portions.)
I was somewhat tired after today's trek, and my knee bothered me a little. Not much, though, considering the distance. I think that I may do the 50-miler in Princeton next weekend. We shall see how I feel the day of the ride. We have a lot of August rides scheduled. Hope the weather cooperates.
Recent Comments