Route 1 Ride Solo

Skies were grey but the flag was flying proud over the American Legion

I learned about a social distancing challenge called Ride Solo that consisted of a series of 4 gravel rides during the month of May. With all my planned events either postponed or cancelled, this seemed like a good alternative and an opportunity to ride some new roads.

The first two routes started at the American Legion hall outside of Mackinaw. DH Steve and ride buddy Barb and I drove over from Springfield bright and early and parked in the lot behind the hall. We pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Blue skies peeking out from under the clouds

Beautiful gravel roads in pristine condition set the tone

The day started off with a technical glitch when my Garmin 1030 staged a protest and refused to work in navigation mode. Resigned to having no way to navigate the unfamiliar roads, the solution was to try to keep up with Steve and have him tag me later on Strava.

Crossing the Mackinaw River

Theres something about exploring new roads that is really good for the soul. In spite of having no navigational capabilities, or maybe because of it, I really enjoyed the rolling country roads and stretches of gravel. There were enough climbs to keep things interesting.

Rolling along near the river and wishing I had skipped the big piece of cake the night beforr