It didn't start all that great, but I overcame the little problems and turned the day into pure gold. Gold like the mesmerizing color of Ellen's eyes in the book I'm celebrating as I write this. I set my alarm last night expecting to rise early and ride to Fort Meigs for the Wheelmen's Breakfast ride. 6:25 AM. Ugh. That's early. But, it would all be worth it because I planned to ride a century (100 mile ride) with some of my friends from Michigan Mountain Mayhem. At 2:08AM, I was awakened by the familiar beeping from my phone which indicates that the battery was low and unless I plug in my phone immediately, the outside world would be unable to reach me within minutes. I popped up out of my bed flinging the top sheet and blanket wherever they might go when you fling and stand in one sweet rehearsed motion. In a single stride I was on top of my phone pressing the "OK" button to let my device know that I still loved it and that I would immediately take care of the matter at hand - plugging her in. In the time that it took me to reach my phone, I wondered why she was suffering with a weakening battery. Was she unplugged? Had we lost power in the storms that were forecast for the overnight hours? Was there a problem with cord and plug that I was using? Alas, it was my own stupidity that caused her to squawk at me. I had forgotten to plug her in when I laid her on the chest at the end of my bed.

Having taken care of that, I slunk back into my bed, fiddling with the sheet and blanket that I'd thrown aside moments before. Then, as if the universe was telling me that I was not going to get a good night's sleep before this planned epic bike ride, a bolt of lightning lit my room. The immediate clap of thunder told me that this storm was upon me and I wondered if I would sleep at all. I listened for more. I listened for rain, too. Eventually, I was able to hear the sound of rain tapping on my front window and I was lulled back to sleep still waiting for the light and the thunder to snap me back to consciousness. Fortunately, the next sound I heard was my alarm at the prescribed 6:25AM. I'd gotten plenty of rest and I felt good, but the roads were still very wet from the storm. A minor setback, at worst. I decided to sleep another 35 minutes and drive to the ride start instead of riding there. No big loss.

When I did finally get up at 7:00, I was anxious to get rolling. I got dressed, loaded up the car, said goodbye to Stupid, and drove to Fort Meigs.

I was the first to arrive. I took my bike off the top of the car, grabbed my helmet, head-wrap, and gloves out of the back hatch and waited for others to arrive. Tim Book was first. Then, Suzanne rolled in. These are my century peeps. Eventually 3 others arrived before the 7:45 ride start time, and we six began our 16 mile ride to Grand Rapids, Ohio. The three Wheelmen were nice to us for the majority of the ride. Along the way, we picked up a 4th Wheelmen making it 7 riders strong. Then, just after the Weirs Rapids hill, the Wheelmen decided to stretch things out. Suzanne and I teamed up to stay off the back but not get completely destroyed. The Wheelmen who had been pulling just before they stomped on it got left in the dust. When Suzanne and I arrived at GR, we could see the other 3 were just dismounting at the restaurant. Not bad.

After a short discussion, the Wheelmen decided to eat breakfast at Fernando's as they usually do. Ricky wanted to hear about Mike's recent hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. Tim, Suzanne and I had other plans. Before we could set off on our century, though, I had to go get some Gatorade because I'd gotten sidetracked when I was gathering my gear this morning and, in addition to forgetting to eat my already prepared breakfast, I'd forgotten to grab my water bottles - all of which were in the refrigerator waiting for me when I got home. Suzanne was nice enough to lend me a water bottle, into which I poured the Gatorade, and we were off like a bale of turtles.

We took the usual route from GR to Napoleon, Ohio... straight out along the river. There was conversation, as usual. I'd share that with you, but it's kind of nice to keep it. It's ours. We share it on rides. I doesn't need to go any further. If you want in on the conversation, then join us.

From Napoleon, we started off on a route that was suggested by Google maps. It was nice. It took us along County Rd 418 to Adams Ridge Rd (though I never saw a ridge) and then we zig-zagged down to Defiance. Tim Book got a flat and we all pitched in to get it fixed. Suzanne donated a patch that went on the inside of his tire because he had quite a gash in the tire itself. I donated a tool to help Tim get the tire off of the wheel. The Wheelmen would have been furious that it took us so long to change a flat. But then, Wheelmen don't do century rides so... whatever with them.

In Defiance, we found a bike shop where Tim bought a replacement tube - guaranteeing that we wouldn't need it - and I bought a water bottle. Then, we had brunch at Kissner's restaurant. We'll be going back there, I guarantee that. Nice place with great food and good service. Plus, the servings were large and we needed the calories.

The route back took us along Route 424. We'd never ridden that section of road before. It is now a favorite route for all three of us. It's a very smooth road with lots of vistas overlooking the river. And, as if that's not enough, it's not a very heavily traveled road. We were only passed 8 times between Defiance and Napoleon. All of them were exemplary passes!

In Napoleon, we crossed over the river again and rode the usual route back to Grand Rapids where we stopped for water and to empty our bladders. Then, we crossed to the north side of the river for the final time. River Rd into Maumee followed by a final crossing and back to the fort gave me 98 miles. Not to be shorted, I escorted Suzanne back home and then turned back to find my car.

I almost went for a run when I got back to my car. I changed into my running clothes and put on my running shoes before I realized that I was out of water in my new water bottle. Alas, I decided to pass on the run and call it a day.

On the way home, I stopped at the beverage store at Byrne and Glendale to pick up a tasty adult beverage. Since I hadn't spent the bookmark dollar from Pillars of the Earth, I decided to make that purchase today, too. So, as I write this, I'm sipping on this Great Black Swamp Brewing Co. Mosquito Red Ale. I chose the Mosquito Red because...

It has a picture of a mosquito on it and I would have to imagine that they fought off the bugs in the heat of the summer ever year.

I poured it into the mug I brought back from Vienna. While the characters in Pillars of the Earth didn't make it that far, they were in Europe. And, Vienna was home to one of the most iconic churches I've ever been to. I wish I'd have read the book prior to going to Austria because I would have had more of an appreciation of the kind of work that went into building such a cathedral. Tom Builder and Jack Jackson would have been proud to be on the build team at St. Stephens Cathedral.

Review: This is a good quality beer. It's probably not worth the $5 per pint that they charge for it, but it's tasty. I'd order it at Swigs if I saw it on their menu.

Not only did I ride a great century today, it was our fastest century ever. We finished in four hours, forty six minutes with a 21MPH average pace. Epic.

Just... Epic.

I love being me. And, I love the friends I've gained this year. You guys rock.