(Updated entry. New text in this color.)
Today was another sunny, warm day in Petersburg. I went out for a mountain bike ride up to Frederick Point and around the loop back to town. I was out this way once before, last year, when it was quite miserable for a long bicycle ride -- drizzle, rain, and cold. It was completely different today. Today was also the first time I went up this road with cameras. It was quite scenic, with visibility all the way out to the distant mountains.
While riding along, probably in the second hour, I startled a couple of black bears. They might have been cubs. I took a quick 360-degree glance to see if there were any big bears in the road, on the hill, or in the nearby brush. And then I quickly decided to take leave of the area without waiting for a possible mama bear to come by. If I was with a group, perhaps I might have stuck around, but being all alone and out of cell phone range, I figured the wisest course of action was to make noise and go down the road. Fortunately I did not encounter any more bears or other predatory animals.
However, I ended up being out about an hour longer than I had planned. I didn't realize that the "Y"-intersection with the road that returns to Mitkof Highway was much farther out than I imagined. I thought the turn-off came at around 10-12 miles out. I kept going on, figuring the intersection would be just around the next corner, or just down the next hill. Frederick Road is a constant up and down with no respite. It's all dirt and gravel. When I finally did get to the intersection, it was 17 miles. And then it was another 4 miles after that back to the highway. When I finally reached the highway and saw that I was at Falls Creek rather than Twin Creek (where I thought I would come out), my morale was pretty much shot. It was 9 miles back to town instead of 6.
My muscles started to cramp and seize up, my right knee (the one that always has trouble) began to hurt. Once on the road I tried to call Elise, but coverage was still spotty. Not only that, but she was still asleep from working last night. I tried multiple times, and on about the fourth try, at around 5.5 miles back to town, I finally got a hold of her. Our girls needed picking up at about 4 miles, so I had her come out to pick all of us up. We met at about 2 miles out. I chose to continue on into town, or until my legs completely gave out. They did -- just about at the road going to our church. I was about to cramp in a terribly agonizing way. I worked myself into a position where there was least pressure and strain, and then I took the electrolyte capsules that I should have taken earlier. A few minutes later Elise came by, loaded the bicycle (Shelley helped) and me into the pickup, and got back home. I was just 1.5 miles from finishing the loop. How disappointing. I should have started taking the electrolyte capsules at about the second hour.
My arms are sunburned! I didn't think that could happen in Petersburg. But it did.
If you want to follow the route, click HERE to open a Google Maps to the starting point of my ride. (Wrangell Ave is where our house is located. From there I took N Nordic to Sandy Beach Road, and then to Frederick Sound Drive. The return to Mitkof Highway was on Three Lakes Loop Road.)
The first 1.5 hours was quite pleasant, and I got a few nice scenic images along the way. Click on contact sheet image to open gallery page.
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