Possum Pedal

Possum Pedal

Graham, Texas

August 15, 2020

KUDOS to Graham for not participating in the "cancel culture." And, as far as I am concerned, they did it flawlessly. So the ride was on:

Who's registered?

1. Christine would be happier if it weren't so early.

 

Me

 And according to the latest info of registrants: 249 other cyclers signed up.

Ride was to start at 7 a.m. We and some others milled around waiting for the line up. Eventually, a representative told us it was an open start. Explains why some of the riders just wandered off and others seemed to be in no hurry to get to the line up.

 And we were off.

 Last time we were at Possum Pedal, it rained on us for the first 40 miles, so I was eager to see the country side that I had missed. 

 My glasses were so wet I could barely see the road. But not this time. Clear weather, little if any wind, and smooth roads.

 Christine and I were just pedaling along enjoying the ride when this large, fast group passed us. I latched on for a few miles and then got distracted by the wayside attraction.

Fort Belknap 

Fort Belknap was to be the first rest stop but they were just setting up, so we just cycled through the area and toured the Fort structures.

 This building was what caught our eyes and alerted us that something interesting was coming up. 

Fort Belknap was established in 1851 to protect the Texas frontier against raids by the Kiowa and Comanche. 

  

 Note the smooth road and inclines instead of hills. 

 Two symbols of the first Texas cows--our State Large Mammal.

The Texas Longhorns are direct descendants of the first cattle introduced to the New World. The ancestral cattle were brought by Christopher Columbus in 1493.    

 One of several lakes in the Graham area.

 Note the lack of wind. Nearly perfect day.

 Not a repeat picture. Ride was surprisingly level. 

  

 

 Long incline but no "tough" hills.

 Deco shadow art plus nice gate.

Rest stop volunteers did not purposefully break social distancing protocol as they would hold the rider's bike while the rider was at the stop. No way to pass a bike off and stay 6 feet away.  

New route this year. Last time even in the rain I knew we were traveling hill after hill.  

 Coming into town.

Normally this finish line area would have been full of food trucks, families, and activities. Graham is a pleasant, remote community with about 8700 loving, loyal residents.

A big thanks to the ride directors, volunteers, and sponsors for carrying through on holding the ride, even though Graham had no other festival activities. Graham was one of the few sponsors that carried out its plans despite the "sky is falling" attitude of some of the states, counties, and cities and their cancel culture. We are big boys and girls, aware of the risks, sighed the waiver, and had a great ride.

And there were added attractions we visited, but will wait to publish those pictures so this blog will not be too long.