Kevin, Kevin & Karen (3 Ks!) plus me bringing up the rear. And I mean really bringing up the rear! It was 40 at the bottom and gradually declined as we rode up the hill. Well, the 3K’s rode up the hill; I was huffing and puffing behind. I was in a bit of a dark place on the climb, thinking this might have been the last ride I could leave with the group.. 40 years of doing this and I’m finally not qualified for my own ride. The indignity! Idea being that I could leave 5 minutes early and not hold everyone up too badly.

But hopefully it was because it was still pretty cold, 35 at the top, plus I was at the leading edge of a cold. This cold was the plague that nailed many pretty hard; fortunately, for me, and hope I’m not speaking too soon, it never got all that bad. We’ll see how I do tomorrow (Sunday).

Meantime I’m going to see if I can get another breathing test and maybe switch to something stronger. There was a time when I would have wanted to stay with “mild” stuff, meds without much in the way of side effects, but I’m on enough things now that I feel like that ship has sailed. Give me the good stuff!

I’ve been around, I know how it works. I’ve been doing this ride every single Tuesday & Thursday morning since when? Since Tuesday & Thursday mornings were invented. That long. The idea of something really being a surprise is unfathomble. And yet, this morning, climbing Kings at a snail’s pace, what I know in my heart to be true, that I’ll feel better very shortly, that I get stronger as the ride goes on, well, I just wasn’t thinking that. Such thoughts were nowhere to be found, the struggle seemingly so tough.

Thankfully, things did get better once on top. It wasn’t all-of-a-sudden though. Normally, by the time we’re heading south on Skyline, approaching Skeggs, I’m doing pretty good on that short uphill grade, and from there on, I’m fine. Today I was still waiting to feel fine at that point. Seeing strong shadows cast by a bright sun was beginning to help my spirits though, and I found myself beginning to take pulls as we neared the mild grade that precedes the descent into Sky Londa.

I was back. I took a very long pull at the front as we headed towards West Old LaHonda, and from then on, felt pretty normal. Alive enough that the poor tree in the photo really stood out. Kevin mentioned that it seemed to have dropped a couple more branches since last time, and I’m thinking yes, this tree is going fast. Not quite as fast as we thought though, looking at the photo taken 16 months ago. Yes, it’s heading into oblivion, but at the rate of a branch or two a week.