| Date | November 2, 2003 |
| Hosts | DBLS DOGS (Brenda and Larry Isherwood, Susan Nicolich, Dave Snope) |
| Where | Califon Island State Park |
| Who (else) | Marji Brandriss and Dave Kristol, Barbara and Tracy Cate, Christina Chan and Rich LeGrand, Fran and Stan Chesler, Julie and Stu Conway, Fern and Tom Goodhart, Claire Hamanaka and Walt Willard, Lori Lynn and Darmon Meader, Linda and George Wells |
It wasn't a complete reversal of the familiar "Not as flat as..." route, so the terrific downhill runs didn't turn into heroic uphill slogs. A total of 11 teams attended today's ride. Notable were two first-time DOGS: Darmon and Lori Lynn Meader, and Stu and Julie Conway -- it was great to see you both at your first official DOGS ride and hope to ride with you guys again.
While the temperatures were great, so, also, was the scenery. A wet summer has provided an abundance of leaves on the trees and, despite the recent rains, a riot of colors greeted the riders at every turn of the ride. Linda commented that even though we didn't go to Church today, we got our fair share of "sermon" just looking at the glory of nature.
The ride took the traditional route out of Califon with the 15-percent grade at the end of Frog Hollow Road and its equally difficult companion on Hacklebarney Road. (Gee, thanks for keeping these in the ride). Unfortunately, Team Meader had some troubles with a fraying derailleur cable and had difficulties shifting down into the granny gear. However, they did make up for those delays as the ride progressed. (We know, because they passed us with ease). The Cider and Doughnut stop was welcomed and allowed all of us to gather together before the assault on the remainder of the ride.
The final long downhill (after a long series of climbs to get to the top) was a bit dicey. Fallen leaves and runoff from the groundwater made some of the corners a bit slippery. Team Wells rode the brakes pretty much all the way to the bottom, although we did have a few moments where we let it all hang out, even spinning out our 50-12 top gear at one point.
The post ride chatter and goodies were great. (We all appreciate the social side of tandeming.) There is a recipe page on our web-site and for a good reason--we have great cooks among us!
While the weather may not last, the season is far from over. There are still two DOGS rides yet to come and even more--if you'd like to lead one. Please send Dave Kristol an e-mail and he will include the information on the Events Calendar Page. Hope to see you all at one or both of these planned rides and also at the Winter Solstice Party. (Please note the new venue this year--the new HQ for Team Bergstrom.)
Final Note: Keep your eyes open for an upcoming issue of "The Ride" magazine where the DOGS will be the "lead club" featured in the Tandem Club section of an issue devoted to various cycling clubs in the Northeast.
Linda & George Wells
(a.k.a., Team Half-Fast)
