46th ride

I decided to give myself the day off from riding yesterday, and instead spent the late afternoon and evening hours with Michelle, since she would be gone all day Saturday. So this morning, I was glad to get back at it, and did a long ride, going to Gallup Park (via a route suggested by Doug, rather than the route I had selected, for better riding surfaces and better traffic conditions with which to contend), through the park to the east, and then home via Huron River Driver/Golfside/Ellsworth.

When leaving work yesterday I experienced the unusual situation of being asked by our Service Manager if I would like to come in Saturday morning. Thinking he was joking, I said no, but then he asked, WOULD you come in? Then our manager (Harley) who was there, interjected, "Why don't you call in the morning? We might like you to come in for an hour to run down to Saline and pick up a part for us." Our lead technician, Craig, who was also standing there, grinned and added, "You could ride down for it—that'd be a good workout!" So, anyway, following Harley's request, I called shortly after 7:00 a.m. (when the store opens), and Harley told me, "Why don't you just run down to Bill Crispin in Saline at 10:00 and pick up that part? Or it could be 11:00—whatever works out for you." So, figuring I'd ride about two hours, I set off. But then, when I was riding through Gallup Park, my phone chirped with a text from the Service Manager saying the part was in, and I could get it anytime. In light of this, I figured I'd best head home as directly as possible, since I was still several miles from finishing. Accordingly, I cut my planned route somewhat short, but still had a very good ride anyway.

Gallup Park, along the Huron River, is the site of many enjoyable memories. While I was in St. Joseph Hospital during the second half of 1993, we had many afternoon outings there with John and Christy, and I also ran a 5K race there (the Gallup Gallop) on July 12, 2009 (in 29:34)—and, most recently, we had a lovely picnic there with Christy and her family on April 27, when they were visiting from Colorado.