It is dawning on me that if I do a big ride this summer, I'd better get some practice in.  This is the first ride more than 50 miles in about a year.

I need my tingly hands, my numb butt, and my physical and mental stamina to get back to ride ready.

My original plans were to try to log about 400 miles.  After all, during last spring's ride across 20 states, I often put in up to 600 miles in a single day.  Surely, this should be a piece of cake.  More about this below.

Then I spotted the police department.  Aha, a perfect sign on the corner. Now, if I can just pull the bike up there and take a quick photo or two, I'll be all set.  I pulled onto the sidewalk corner and no sooner shut it down when a cop car pulled up beside me. Poop!  Would he be a had nose and ticket me?  Oh well, maybe he will be okay if I promise to move on quickly.

What do you know!  This was Officer Dan a Gilroy cop.  He stopped because he has a Harley Heritage Classic like mine and was curious about my tour pack.  That's the high, center box on the rear.  We talked for a while and he was nice enough to take a couple photos for me.  A great young fellow.  Never mentioned a word about me being on the sidewalk.

As he was taking this picture, he stepped out into the middle of the intersection with cars coming.  I told him that I was concerned about his safety with the cars around, but he said that cars stop for cops.  I hope it will always remain so for him.

Now in Hollister, I knew that the post office is around here somewhere, but, as usual, I found myself wandering around.  I stopped briefly in a shopping center to gather my bearings.  But, happily, the post office was not far away.  But then, how far away could it be in a town of this size?  Actually, Hollister is about 30,000 which makes it bigger than Eureka my home town.

111.2 / 38,150, 10:50

Just a few miles further down Highway 25 is the little town of Tres Pinos. The entire building of the post office there is about the size of my living room.  And my living room is not all that large.

There's a Taco Bell in Hollister that I have visited several times in the past February of last year.  A couple Taco Supremes and I'm happy.

Along the way, I stop at a fruit stand and picked up some cherries and some apricots.  Expensive, but this year's cherry crop is small in California and they're expensive everywhere.  $12.00 for the big box of cherries.  Since I will eat them all, I expect they will also cost me about the same in T.P.

They are delicious, though.  It's good being in a world-class agricultural area. 

This error did allow me to find a good photo opportunity for Monterey County.  In this picture, can you find me?

I then found the Post Office, 100 Maple St., and got my photo for the city.

At this point, it was clear that I was not ready for my original plans of a 400 mile ride for the day.  I had played badminton for 2-1/2 hours the previous evening and then stayed up late to try to plan for the ride and print maps and directions.  Burning the candle at both ends is not a good idea for the first long ride in just about a year.  Unusual for me, I chose discretion and headed home.  This would be over 250 miles as it was.  So, back up Highway 101 I went.

Finally, home! 66.8 / 38,358 / 4:48

First long ride this year and my body feels a bit rocky.  I have to do better than this if I want to ride an average of twice as far each day for many days in a row.

2007 ABC Letters: Cities: G, H, K, T, Counties: M

Total: 267 miles, 7 hours 33 minutes