Bryan, Shellene, & myself rode Honey DO permanent this morning. I arrived in Princeton a little after 6:30(for a 7:00am start) to see Bryan already in the parking lot(what a surprise) ,ready to go. Bryan surprised me by telling me Shellene was riding with us as well(originally, Shellene was riding the 300k in Willow Park, but like us, decided on a shorter distance to the ride start).
 
 
It's always a pleasure & joy to ride with these guys. I need to do it more.
 
We rolled out right at 7:00. This is an out & back route from Princeton to Honey Grove. The ride goes through Farmersville, Merit,Celeste(2nd control), Wolfe City, Ladonia , & Honey Grove(Control #3-turnaround), I found the road surface from Celeste to Wolfe City pretty tough(BOULDERSEAL). We all rode together, sharing stories & laughing. We arrived in Honey Grove, Bryan mentioned that he was suffering some soreness from Das Huegel last Saturday & he was going to sit down at the control for awhile.
 
He told me to go on. I took advantage of the little tailwind to head back the same we came. Back through the boulderseal in Wolfe City to Celeste(Ugh), a fast stop at the control in Celeste. I went to call Bryan & check his progress. Oops, I forgot to charge my iphone  last night. No calling now. 30 miles to go. I've ridden this route before, but I had forgotten the rollers in the last 30 miles are more than enough to get my attention. Nothing horrible, it seemed regular up & down for the last 30 miles.  
 
During the last miles, I was starting to fatigue. More little rollers. I finished with an overall time of 7 hrs-50 minutes(17.45mph avg). Bryan & Shellene were not far behind. These two are such strong riders.So much for those guys taking it easy.  
 
It was a fun day. I thoroughly enjoyed the time with Bryan & Shellene. The weather liars(forecasters) missed the forecast again. We had no rain on our ride. Temp at the start was 53, with no wind. The payment was wet in the morning(form humidity & early rain), but the last 20 miles or so were ridden in complete sun. I was getting toasty in my wool sweater.  
 
Thanks again to Bryan & Shellene for riding with me & changing their plan from Willow Park to Honey Do. Overall, I like this route, there are some rough sections, but hey, this randonnuering. You gotta expect some obstacles along the way . It makes the ride just that much more satisfying when you're done.
 
I celebrated my ride by having a Mark Metcalfe ice cream at the final control. See what you started Mark?But, I have to say, it did hit the spot(and it wasn't even Hagen Das).

Shellene , the wheels are in motion(pun intended) for next Saturday. We're looking forward to a nice ride,good route, & great company next Saturday(wherever it may be).
 
I will be riding with Peggy at a comfortable pace. We would enjoy some more company.