Over the Hills and (Not So) Far Away

For some reason, I was scheduled for two fewer shifts this week than normal, and while I could certainly use the money, I decided not to complain or ask why and use the time to ride instead. That was a good decision. Plus, this is the last week of 6:30 sunset, so I will be able to work until 6 every day AND still have time to ride when I get home! As if that's not exciting enough, the Driveway Crits start next week! I would gander to say that if you're looking for me on a Thursday between now and November, that would be the first place to check. Seriously, how better to spend a Thursday night than with bikes and post-race beer and food? Also, the Tuesday Nighter will be starting up, and I plan to at least check that out once, probably not a regular thing for me though... Aaaaand, I have been having withdrawals lately for the lack of "bike culture" in my life, and the upcoming Full Moon Cruise seems to be just the cure; I may even stick around for the whole thing and start Spring Break early! But I digress...

Back to yesterday:

I got a later start than I had planned, and while this is pretty standard for me, being late still bothers me. Yet I have done little to change it. Ah well, at least I was riding alone and nobody had to wait for me.

Riding down Barton Springs, I had my usual Rollingwood/360/Shoal Creek loop in mind, but I felt a strange pull, and ended up heading down Stratford. Considering the climbing starts less than 2 miles from my place, I was less than warmed up for it, but after nearly coming to a stop on the first hill, the rest was not terrible. This was also the first time I had done any signifigant climbing with Izabella, who packs a double as opposed to Vanessa's triple, so that was new as well.

Normally, I turn around and do Stratford half way and then cut through to Rollingwood when I get to Red Bud, but again, there was something pulling me in that direction, so I decided to stay the course. I ran into Kyle and Joseph out on Red Bud, gave the obligatory nonchalant wave between passing cars, and then I found out what Red Bud is all about. For a long time, I thought people referred to Red Bud as just the section between Westlake Dr. and Lake Austin Blvd. which is part of my "old" favourite route, but for a while I knew there must be something more, I had just never done it. Well now I know. It was quite a climb, but a good one at that, and traffic was very minimal compared to Westlake Dr. I will definitely have to add that one on the regular rotation.

I had been tossing around the idea of Lost Creek, but when I came to 360, that would have been a hassle to go south to get there, and I still felt mysteriously drawn in a certain direction. Plus, I had a good thing going what with all the changing of my usual routes, so why rain on that parade?

Let me just say I love riding 360, for many reasons, but this could be one of the best ones:
It makes me sad to think how many people are pissed off and stressed out, sitting in traffic in their cars while I do what I love and enjoy the beautiful views that this area has to offer. You can life life in your "fast" lane all you want, but I prefer the lane that is free of traffic:
Ah well, more room for me I suppose!

Cruising along, I was drawn into a random neighborhood, up a little hill that so badly wanted to be taken seriously:
After ending up at the bottom of a hill that ended in a cul-de-sac and resulted in the first time I have ever had to weave side to side to climb a hill (remember, I'm still new to having a double) I finally realized why I had felt like I was being drawn towards something the whole time:
The antenna farm!! One of my favourite Austin landmarks since I moved here. Recently, I was shown how to get there (which turned out to be far easier than I had originally thought) by a certain someone, and we had noted the hills in the surrounding neighborhoods. I guess the fact that I started my ride with some hill climbs, the electro-magnetic fields emitted from the antennae drew me in ever so discretely. As it turns out, right next to the compound from where the antennae keep watch on the city (hopefully they don't work for Big Brother) is for sale!
Maybe there is suspicious Martian activity that goes on beyond those gates, and they're fed up, or they recently had a child with an extra nose due to the radiation emitted by the antennae, or perhaps, though much less exciting, they could not pay back their mortgage... Ah well, such is life. I guess they could just want to live somewhere else? But who does that, really?
And I want to know who is responsible for putting up the black sheep antenna! Why the hate for the candy cane antennae? Someone's always gotta be different...

And so, in light of all the newness, hill climbing, and being out on 360, there was one more thing I had to squeeze in before the sun left us for his friends out West with whom he prefers to spend his evenings:
Ah yes, Jester, another famed Austin hill I had yet to meet. And what better time than rush hour on a warm spring Wednesday when the roads are more like a playground than anything else. And so it goes:
And now I have climbed Jester. Was it a challenge? Of course. Did I have to go at a ridiculously slow pace in my granny gear? Yes. Was it the epic monolith that everyone talks it up to be? I'm not so sure about that. But then, I'm not sure any hill I have climbed has lived up to the talk that precedes it. A climb is a climb, and mental strength can get you through most of them. Of course, if you're going for speed, then it's different. But I ride for pleasure mostly, a hedonistic style if you will, and it's not the difficulty of the climb that makes or breaks it for me.
I judge hills based on how they reward you once you've done your work. If a hill offers scenic vistas and/or a thrilling descent, then it's a winner in my book.

And on a day like yesterday, with this beautiful March weather we are so lucky to have, and beautiful land we are so lucky to live on, Jester has got something going for it.
Yupp, I love this place, especially this time of year. And we had better soak it up because soon our clothes will be what is soaking, with sweat that is..
I almost want to say the summers are worth it, just for these past few months, but then again, I know I will be bitching as soon as we hit 90 degrees with 65% humidity, and it's impossible to brush your teeth without breaking a sweat. But that's another day. Today, our only responsibility is to appreciate what we are given and make the most of it.
Of course that goes for every day, and there may not be a better purpose in life than to make each day as beautiful as possible. The real challenge comes in not losing sight of that.