After this ride, (not to mention this particularly long, frustrating session with mapmyride.com,) I knew I was basically Done for the day. Surviving the six hours until bedtime without falling over or drooling on myself would count as a major accomplishment, so I decided to put off the blog entry until today. Now I can maybe be all kinds of witty about the experience, while still providing the interactive mappy goodness you've come to expect.
***
51.6 miles, yo. I took a slight shortcut to get to Mount Horeb, and then I followed the solar system route all the way to the sun, and then headed home.

Technically, I have not completed Planet Trek. I never found Pluto. I didn't find it within a mile of the trail after the "Welcome to Mt. Horeb" sign, and then I started wondering if maybe the website had said Pluto was "downtown" and what exactly that would mean, so I decided to just head home. It's not like Pluto is even a planet, anyway.

Besides, KC had also expressed interest in Planet Trek, so I'm glad I have the excuse to do it again. When she comes along, I'll be able to say useful things like "Last bathroom for 15 miles!" I know I would have appreciated someone saying those sorts of things yesterday.

At one point, I left the trail and walked my bike across a field to get to the Verona Little League park for an empty water bottle emergency. Then there was much riding around the park perimeter, because I thought I had maybe also passed an actual road leading from the trail to the park. When I got back on the trail, I literally rode less than 100 yards before I saw an official state trail rest stop. Next time, I'll know this.
***
Last summer, I rode 10-12 miles, three or four times a week. I went after work, or before work, or whenever I had an hour or two to spare. So far, this summer is all about adding distance and building endurance.

The trouble is, after completing a 50-mile ride, I know I won't want to ride again for about a week. Maybe now that I've proven to myself that I can ride 50 miles in a day, I can find some sort of middle ground between a 10-mile ride and a 50-mile one.

I really like the sense of accomplishment in a long-ass ride, but it took me six whole hours. I'd like to spend some of my time on a day off pursuing other interests as well.

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