I see signs of the coming autumn everywhere. The leaves are beginning to turn. The evenings are getting downright chilly. Any day now, the grey curtain of damp will descend on Portland, and it will be wet winter weather until spring.

But today was beautiful. Clear, sunny and warm. A perfect day for a ride. And I wanted to ride somewhere that wasn’t to or from work.

Today’s ride stats:

Ride length: 17.5 miles

Max speed: 32.0 mph

Moving time: 1 hr, 28 minutes

Average speed (moving): 11.9 mph

Time stopped: 23 min, 22 sec

Overall average speed: 9.4 mph

No. of people who said my recumbent looked cool: 3

No. of those that were riding a recumbent themselves: 1

No. of other recumbent riders seen: 2

No. of upright riders that passed me: 3

No. of people who asked me where I got my bike: 1

No. of cars full of young males that screamed something unintelligable yet obviously insulting at me: 2

No. of times I swore I would never go up that hill again: 3