Pumpkin Ice Cream Bike Ride 10/27/2015

On the morning of 27 Oct 2015, it was a class “A” sleep-in kind of day. I awoke to an unfamiliar sound—who set that d... alarm anyway? 6:30 a.m.? Oh, its Tuesday and the Tuesday Group has a bike ride planned. I then note it is raining—good, I can call and cancel my participation. Oh, wait, I am leading the d... ride. So, I casually check weather channels, eat breakfast, get ready and go—with full assurance than no one will show up and I can come back home and sleep in. Four people cancelled before I left home—good sign. I kept my phone handy as I travelled. After a short drive and ferry ride, I arrive at the Surry Governmental Center. Who the h... are all those people with bikes—its an early nine o’clock and they are already there. Bill B is strategizing how to strip down to keep more of his clothes dry. Mark B and Jim A are pulling out there mobile devices to discourage us with the weather channels predictions of disaster. O well, we’ll switch the route and go to College run farms for ice cream first and then the group will likely take the short route back and we will be done with it. Sometimes I think I don’t really know these people. 20 Tuesday Groupers set out in a drizzle and after a little over five miles we pull into College Run Farms and everyone is sated with Pumpkin ice cream. It is still drizzling rain pretty good and I am convinced we will agree to turn around and stop this craziness. Wrong, the group decides to go to Chippokes and, if it gets worse, we will then turn around. OK, on to Chippokes—it is raining a little harder now, just not real hard. The riders up front travel to the James river and stop. This is not a stop point for today, so we saddle up and continue on. These hardy people want to ride on. We wind up doing the original route in reverse. The drizzle continues, but we never get a hard rain or lightning. Back at our cars, the rain seems to stop. God is playing with us, I think. And most stayed for a lunch at Anna’s “single waitress” restaurant. It was a good thing we weren’t in a hurry—we needed to dry out a bit before lunch--and our wait for service gave us ample time. The laughter of the group and the celebration of Margaret Pisone’s birthday—she is xx years old—topped off a great day with good crazy friends who don’t let a little weather stop them from having fun.

I guess I won’t smash that alarm clock after all.

Brian

View Bill's pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/117475145040031402609/TuesSurryOctober272015203MilesBryan?authkey=Gv1sRgCMKAzdPo3OLqxAE&feat=email

View Jim's pictures: https://jimarendphotography.smugmug.com/Sports/Tuesday-Group-Biking/Pumpkin-Ride-20151027/