| Date | March 4, 2007 |
| Hosts | DBLS DOGS (Dave Snope, Brenda and Larry Isherwood, Susan Nicolich) |
| Where | Califon Island Park, Califon; Hunterdon and Morris Counties |
| Who (else) | Cheryl Prudhomme and Mark Cook |
We were seeking spirited cyclists for a shivery scenic sashay this past Sunday. Thank you to BOTH of you who participated!!!! At the 11:00 start time, temperature was in the high 30s, and we were decked out in our finest winter wear. Inspector Gadget even had his battery powered footbed heaters--so the sudden snow flurry merely added to our sense of adventure. The roads were generally quiet and the only icy spots we encountered were on the long, slow climb up Frog Hollow Rd.
Once these were carefully avoided, the remainder of the ride was smooth sailing. OK--there were the few grinding climbs that one usually encounters in Hunterdon and Morris counties. At one of the later of these climbs we were pleasantly distracted by a Pileated Woodpecker who flew across our path and landed on a tree so we could all get a good view of him. Then with a flash of white wing patches, he flew off into the distance, calling. I think he was saying something about a granny gear.
Speaking of granny, a couple of the bikes exhibited a few minor shifting difficulties. Although these were not serious enough to ruin the ride, some mutterings from captains could occasionally be heard above the grinding noises. Since we had opted for the 24 mile Pancake Ride, there was no stop at the cider mill this time. The sashay ended with the lovely stretch along the Raritan River where we were lucky to spot a pair of Common Mergansers along with the usual resident Canada Geese and Mallards. Thanks again to Mark and Cheryl for coming out to ride with us. Hope to see some more of you next time!