too hilly for a flat ride

When I pulled up next to Tom's short pickup, he complained, "How come every time I come out on one of your rides, it's the coldest %$#&ing day of the year?"

It WAS cold; cold enough that I didn't get any pictures at the start.

And what was I doing leading a ride on a Saturday, anyway? Well, it's like this: Thursday evening came, and when I saw that the only rides on the Freewheeler calendar were either too fast, or slow and not long enough, I sent an email out to The Usual Suspects asking if anybody had anything planned. Laura OLPH had nothing planned; she's been so busy at work that she hadn't put anything up. So I dusted off a 40-with-a-break that I'd done a few months ago and posted it. Tom then said he'd had another route planned... but agreed to come on my ride this time; he'll post that ride another time.

So when I got to the start at Six Mile/Blackwells Mills, Tom and Laura were there, as was Ricky G and Jack H. Andrew A rolled in just before the start; we were six.

Laura told me about her busyness at work; she thought she had been able to lose the responsibility as chief mouse wrangler in her lab, but the folks who had picked up the task weren't up to continuing it, so there she was (in addition to all her other responsibilities), acting as mouse-whisperer, or something (I'm still not completely clear on it). She doesn't like that part, so it must be extra difficult to have to do all that fixup work on it.

The route starts with a brief stretch on Amwell; I had a crash on Amwell a few years ago, and every now and then I like to tempt fate and go back on it (but not near the crash site; I have micro-PTSD about that). Then out across Hillsborough (fighting the headwind; a few hills on Homestead; too much traffic on Auten), and then to East Mountain, where we skirt the Sourlands.

There's no place for a break, though, until we get back to the bagel place in Rocky Hill at 518 & 206. (Apologies for the pretty-much-awful pics.)

Andrew left to head for home; the rest of us continued along this route (which includes my rides to and from home). I completely missed the boat on the elevation; I thought the big hill was that one on East Mountain at about mile 22, but there's Mt Lucas (at mile 33), Snowden Lane (mile 36 or so), and the short-but-annoying climb into Kingston at about 37.5.

From there, though, it was a straight shot back up Canal Road to the start. Rather than turning off to go home, I saw the folks back the the cars, then rode the five miles back to home at a pace that might more aptly be described as "regal" rather than "sprightly."

For tomorrow: probable short ride; it's still gonna be cold, and more wind.