Hellacious Headwinds reap Extreme Exhaustion and Designs Dashed.

Today was a Montour Trail day. The plan was to ride from Logan Road to Boggs Road and to do it in 5.5 hours, but with many well-laid plans, things don't go as intended.

I planned for rain and hunger and thirst, drained phone batteries and flat tires. I didn't plan for incredible headwinds and a case of what might be exercise-induced hypoglycemia or maybe my iron and b-12 anemia? Whatever the cause, I hit a wall. I had a really hard day, it took 8 hours to complete what should have taken less than 6.

Choosing a path

An old gas station along the trail

One of several tunnels

I noted on the way out that this place sold ice cream.

This tunnel grows huge stalactites and stalagmites of ice in the winter

Whoa, a runnel! My first experience with a runnel.

Using the runnel is fine going up, but going back down with a heavily laden bike is dangerous. Ruby nearly dragged me down the steps.

That's OK, I didn't need any water. :/

 I'm on a 50 mile journey and water was hard to find. Booo. I snacked and drank all along the way, I tried to include salty things, complex carbs, simple carbs and protien, but my ratios were off, I guess. I bonked hard and early. I didn't make it to Boggs. I got as far as Quicksilver and decided it was best to turn around.

I'm NOT running away from home!

 I must have received 15 comments about how 'over-packed' I was.
"Long Trip?"
"Going camping?"
"Running away from home?"
"How far are you going?"
"Multi-day trip?"
"That's a big haul!"
"You're over packed!"

Ugh, really? I'm NOT over-packed, you jackasses! I need and may need all this shit I'm hauling around! I ride around the city with both panniers and don't get all those comments! What the hell?

Hey, this looks like a nice place for a nap if there was a shade tree here.

Ice cream on the return leg!

Religious icon bike guy's bike.

I encountered "Religious Icon Bike Guy" who stopped to chat while I was resting on a rock. He seemed genuinely disgusted that I was using two panniers and not doing an overnighter.
I caught up to him at the ice cream place and snuck a photo of his bike. He smirked at me when I entered the shoppe as if to say "You'd have been here sooner if you weren't lugging all that crap." In actuality, I was fatigued beyond belief and I was there hoping sugar from an ice cream cone would level out my glucose. It didn't do much, unfortunately, other than taste really good.

A gentleman in an Escape to the Lake jersey slowed down and rode along side me for a bit and seemed concerned by my sluggishness. I was 45 miles into the ride and going a snail's pace of 5 MPH, and still had 3 miles to go. I was bonked, and hit the wall a long time ago and the headwind in both directions was killing me physically and mentally. I assured him I wasn't far from home and that I would be OK.

I rested again at this tranquil waterfall.

I took the 'fearsome' roads to and from the trailhead. No incidents!

When I got home, finally... I remembered that I had promised Hubby we would go to dinner. I was late. I slept in the car on the ride to the restaurant, barely ate and nodded off at the table. I'm not sure I'm cut out for long-distance rides.

48 miles on a windy day.