'Twas a very nice, albeit warm and breezy, Sunday afternoon... Eight of us started out at the Bath house -- Terry P, Peggy, Terrie P-B, PB, Steve, Mark Allen, Robert, and Rich :
We split up into fast and casual groups, with the fast group doing two laps around WRL, and the casual doing 3/4 lap then heading up the WRTrail.
Opus joined us going up the trail to make it 9, then Terrie dropped off at the Tennis Center while the rest of us went on, making it 8 again.
The fast group had also lost a couple to attrition - two laps around WRL was enough for Robert, and he had to get home -- and Terry P dropped off when we met Mark Leuck coming south on the trail, so we were down to 6.
Opus and Rich went ahead up the climb to Meandering while I waited for the faster group to catch up... so six of us went up Meandering, and then Mark Allen pulled off, leaving five.
We got to the top of Meandering, and decided to turn around, since Terrie was waiting for me back at the lake area -- but Opus needed to go on to RBM, so the four left (Stradas, me, and Rich) turned around and headed back. Thus, we never even hooked up with the Ride's namesake at RBM...
That climb up Meandering Way is a tough few miles, pure and simple, especially into a headwind. The return trip was as planned -- significantly faster, being both downhill and with a tailwind!
We had to dodge small children in the soccer field areas, since entire families come out there for entertainment... but no hood ornaments were created...
Terrie had started riding back from the Tennis center when we did our turnaround, so we got back to the bath house shortly after she did, with either 16, 32, or 52 miles, depending upon which group you started out with. Rich decided to head on home, so The Stradas and the Stratus-Variouses
went out for margaritas and mezkin food at El Fenix, afterwards... Yum!
(No photos of Margarita Madness)