Sep-20: Smitty's Springs Eternal 140-k perm-pop

MickH and I set out at 0600 on the "Hope Springs Eternal" 140-km permanent-populaire.
Possibly to check what the traffic for the first 18-miles (30-kms) or so of the route would be like on a weekday during the school-year.  A more useful idea than you might think since the "Bunn Warmer" 108-km perm-pop and the OakElmOak 209-km permanent all use the same start.  [Actually, they are all the same course; one just turns around at different locations; of course, the route-owner and RUSA rules require that one must choose which route one is doing BEFORE starting.]

Mick and I found that the traffic along the route, at about 0700, was a bit more than we would prefer.  To paraphrase the route-owner (Mick), the HSE route seems to be a good route for weekends all year round, and weekdays during the summer (when schools are mostly not-in-session).

We also wanted to check out a new restaurant / cafe' in Spring Hope -- named "Smitty's".  The previous time that Mick and I did the HSE route, the Police Chief in Spring Hope noticed us checking out a different restaurant, and recommended Smitty's.  Conclusion:  excellent place for breakfast; we also expect it would be excellent for a lunch stop on the OEO perm.  Interesting thing:  while we were in Smitty's, the Police Chief came in for his breakfast.  He left the same we did; we asked if he remembered us; he did.

Excellent day it was for a bicycle ride.  This may sound repetitive, but the morning low was 53 F, and the temp by the time we finished seemed to have topped out at around 83 F.  Low humidity, too!
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Sep-20:  

--> Hope Springs Eternal 140-km perm-pop --> ; 98.7 m.; 6h47 in-motion; 14.5 mph; HSE elapsed time:  7h40.

Q-1 tot: _22 rides; 1,610.3 m.; 108h42; 14.8 mph; 1947 RUSA kms. 

Q-2 tot: _29 rides; 2,711.5 m.; 182h48; 14.8 mph; 2700 RUSA kms. 

J-A tot: _19 rides; 1,591.9 m.; 105h29; 15.1 mph; 1599 RUSA kms. 

Sep tot: __9 rides; __901.3 m.; _50h51; 14.8 mph; _857 RUSA kms.  

YTD tot: _78 rides; 6,815.0 m.; 457h49; 14.9 mph; 7103 RUSA kms. 

Eddington Cycling Number: 

After this ride:  94. 
Meaning that I have completed at least 94 different rides that were at least 94 miles long.