The first Tuesday of each month.  You know what that means.  Monthly collective meeting at Austin Yellow Bike.  Consider proposals, review finances, and set the monthly schedule.  I missed the last meeting due to dental stuff.  It was good to see everybody tonight.  And I actually was able to get on the shop schedule this month.

Hot 

It might be September and all my northern readers are thinking about warmer clothing and other winter preparations.  Down here in Texas we’re still dealing with triple digit heat.  So you can imagine what a late afternoon bike ride might be like.  Add to that the afternoon commute with lots of cars and hot pavement.  What doesn’t kill you…something something.

I decided to try a different route to the meeting.  It had the virtue of having less stop lights and stop signs than other ways to get to our shop.  The first part took me on Howard Lane and the access roads for I-35.  Definitely advanced vehicular cycling.  The rest of the route was ok except for the last part of Johnny Morris road.  Narrow but relatively high traffic.  That part had the virtue of being tree-lined and shady.  I did not enjoy FM 969/MLK nor the short jog on US 290 (I missed my turn and had to backtrack.

Return Leg

Standard route.  I’ve done this so many times I could do it in my sleep.  Which is not really a good idea.  Most rides are uneventful.  This evening’s fellow travelers seemed interested in squashing Old Guy with their cars/trucks.  Fortunately my fighter pilot reflexes and spidey sense were fully functional.  Seemed like a fast ride but the computer says it was just average.  Maybe it seemed faster as I didn’t have to work so hard because of the nice tailwind.

Pretty moonrise.  Nice big fat waning phase just above the horizon about the midpoint of my ride.  I also got to wait at a railroad crossing for what seemed like a ridiculously long freight train.

Now it’s time for a beer or five.