Expect Adventure: Dinosaur Ride

When I do a longer weekend ride starting from home, I sometimes like to incorporate a special destination or theme. Today I did a Dinosaur Ride. ROWR!

Chickens are descendants of dinosaurs. Therefore, I pinned my stuffed animal chicken to the back of my jersey:

He's wearing a bird flu shirt. That sort of fits in with the evolutionary theme because every year medical professionals try to stay a step ahead of the season's predicted flu strains, which constantly evolve.

This morning I volunteered with a fundraising event for Heifer International, one of my favorite organizations. Therefore, I didn't get to head out for my ride until about 2:30 PM, but I didn't mind a bit. The route was 69 miles long, which would take me over four hours. It was well worth it, though, because of the special grand finale I had planned.

I took two bottles of water and knew I would need at least one refill stop during the ride. I took the first good opportunity at B.F. Grant checking station on Godfrey Road. I had gone through one bottle and still had one left, but I sure am glad I refilled there.

Although it was a hot day, I found it quite pleasant. I enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of midsummer: deep green foliage against the bright blue sky, the first kudzu blooms, and fields of corn. I'll take a little heat and sweat any day over the cold winter.

I was going through approximately a bottle an hour. There were no stores on my route, and so I intended to rely on churches, usually great sources for water if they have outdoor spigots. I thought I remembered a church on Davis Ford Road that would be good timing for a refill. Yep, there was Gaithers United Methodist Church, a little country church.

I rode up, and - thank you, Lord! - there was a hose on the side of the church building next to a few tomato plants. Then, I thought, I'd better not count my chickens (or dinosaurs) before they're hatched. Sure enough, after I disconnected the hose and turned on the spigot, there was a small dribble and then nothing.

I thought there might be a church on County Line Road, just a few miles farther. Yes, Rocky Creek Church - they, too, had a spigot but no water. I wasn't in dire straits, but I was getting pretty thirsty. I'd have to ride another five or six miles until my next church opportunity. Hopefully, the third time would be the charm.

Prospect United Methodist Church, please have water... Yea! They did. I downed a whole bottle right there (my stomach didn't even get sloshy), and I refilled for the remaining 10 miles or so.

I was in the home stretch, heading back toward Monticello on Calvin Road. Suddenly, two medium-size dogs (pit-bull mixes maybe) started running straight toward me. I tried to slow down and move to the left, but they double-teamed me. I ran over one of the dogs! He yelped but got up and immediately ran away along with the other dog, apparently not really hurt. In the few split seconds right after I ran over him, I somehow managed to stay upright as I rode slightly into the grass on the left hand side of the road. That could have been bad for one or both of us. A few seconds later, the owner, who must have heard me yelling at the dogs, called out to me, "They won't bother you!" Too late.

Just a few more miles, and then came the pinnacle of my ride: a Jurrasic Chomp Blizzard at Dairy Queen! I had seen this limited-edition flavor advertised on the sign of my local DQ. As I planned my ride, I went online to find out just what's in a Jurrasic Chomp Blizzard. It has soft chocolate-covered bits of peanut butter in a base of vanilla soft serve ice cream mixed with chocolate syrup. Yes, it was delicious!

After I sat down to enjoy my treat, I wanted to take a picture of me chomping at my Jurrasic Chomp Blizzard. I typically don't do selfies, but I didn't want to bother anyone else in the restaurant to take my picture. A snap here, a snap there - all I could seem to get was the side of my head. I guess my arms are shorter than I thought.

Then, in walked Robert! He had been tracking me on Find My Friends and came to join me for a Blizzard. What a great surprise! He was nice enough to take my chomp picture, too: