Hot and slow ride

I really wasn't into biking, but on Wednesday, I forced myself to go for a 13.5-mile ride in furnace-like heat: almost 90 degrees. I mostly meandered in and around Bloomsburg without any real purpose. First I took the shortcut to Upper Campus and then I headed down into town. From there, I took my usual route to Fernville, except that I explored a little side street for no real reason. It went past a cliff, but there weren't any views.

 The shortcut

 Hazy, late summer day

Sign that I encountered

From Fernville, I rode across Pennsylvania Route 42 and into the Sunken Heights neighborhood, whose name is "just a joke" according to Columbia County Place Names. It didn't seem all that sunken to me on a bike, though. But there were nice views along the way and a nice descent back to Route 42.

 Hemlock Creek

 Field

 Sunken Heights

Industrial part of Bloomsburg

After waiting for a long light at Pennsylvania Route 42, I continued heading north along Red Mill Road. The next neighborhood I explored was Foxtail, which I've passed many times on other rides. Foxtail was pretty fancy and hideously hilly. There were some of the best views of the ride from the road, but my camera died, so I only have one picture. But I did make an extremely fast descent back to Red Mill Road.

 Entering Foxtail

 Climbing

Looking back

Red Mill Road dead-ended into the Walmart parking lot, which I rode through. I wonder what the people there were thinking of a certain idiot who went biking past on a steaming hot day. I then came to Lunger Drive, which went mostly downhill to Creek Road. I could've sworn that Lunger Drive was unpaved the last time I was there (running, several years ago), but it was all paved this time.

Creek Road took me back into Fernville, and from there I rode into Bloomsburg and up to Upper Campus, then down the shortcut and home. My time was 1:10:59 and my pace was 5:23/mile. Hideously slow, but then, it was hot and there were many hills.

 Well, that partially explains the slow pace. 2551 feet of elevation change in 13.5 miles. Definitely the steepest ride I've done, at least in Pennsylvania.

   Route map. (source)(license)

 

We also did the Dandelion Run near Mifflinburg today. I placed 4th overall in the 5K with a time of 19:47.