Sep-13: NOB Lite 128 for NC-P-12-Explorer-Challenge

Bob, Iva, and I decided to ride Bob's NOB Lite 128-km perm-pop 
For our September NC-P-12-Explorer-Challenge ride.

Well, actually, Bob had ridden NOB Lite earlier in the month, but
This was Iva's first ever tour of the NOB Lite course, and
Although I had ridden NOB Lite on June-28, I'm not counting that as the June Explorer pop.

On the Jun-28 ride, I had taken several photographs using my flip-phone.
Each had come out pretty well (see the appropriate link above).
This ride, I wanted to get a pic of the church
Where the route turns onto NC-119 (turns off NC-119 on the return).

Sometimes it is a bit difficult to line up the lens for the desired photo, and I clearly slightly missed for this photo.  However, this mostly, or at least partially, conveys the shady scene which is a welcome sight and the resulting cooler temps are even more welcome on hot summer morning.

I don't recall much from the ride [typing this on October 12th].
It was a rather non-descript enjoyable outing.

I'm confident that I took a photo or two at Red House / of the Red House.
But said photo seems to have disappeared.
Oh, well, a reason to ride the course again.
[Edit Oct-20-2017:  I found the photo of the "Red House".] 

There is an historical marker that explains about "Red House" -- just accept that there has been a red brick Presbyterian church at that location since, well, I'm not sure, but my recollection is 1776 plus or minus.

Permanent Route Name / #	Distance	Date	Finishers	DNF
NC: NOB Lite Populaire / 3285	128	2017/09/13	3	0

Cert#	RUSA#	Name	Club / ACP Code	Time
RUSA-T75230	7702	A__, Iva C	Randonneurs USA / 933095	06:32
RUSA-T75231	6218	S__, Martin	Randonneurs USA / 933095	06:32
RUSA-T75232	5843	B__, Bob	Randonneurs USA / 933095	06:32

Thanks to Bob and Iva for dragging me through the ride.  

Aug-26: HopeSpringsEternal 140

Bob and I had already gotten in our monthly R-ride early in the month.
We had also already gotten in our monthly P-ride,
Which also qualified as our NC-P-12-Explorer-Challenge ride.   

That Explorer ride was the brevet-populaire put on by the Raleigh Region
On August 19th as part of our annual rides and picnic to celebrate the birth of RUSA.
I plan to write, er, type something about that picnic-populaire
In conjunction with another ride that we did in October.

You might be wondering why we did the HopeSpringsEternal ride.
The answer(s):

• Bob might have been trying to drag me into shape, 
• Bob might have been trying to edge closer to K-Hound status again this year, 
• Bob might have been trying to put an edge on his in-shapeness prior to joining the last week of the PacTour Southern Trans-continental, 
• We might have been trying to generate some camaraderie in the NC rando peleton by advertising our ride -- advertising being something that seems to have gone out style in NC -- advertising being something I'm trying to re-invigorate, 
• I might have been trying to get into shape, even without Bob's help, 
• I might have been trying to edge closer to 5000 RUSA kms this year, and
• Perhaps highest on our thoughts was that no one had ridden the route since MickH, #6109, had retired and I had adopted the route -- and a route owner is tasked with maintaining familiarity with their routes to ensure suitability for the general rando public use. 

We advertised our ride.
We got one taker, DaveM, #10234.
Dave is generally faster than Bob and me,
But he tolerated our slow pace, and
On our homeward bound leg, we stopped for lunch in Bunn.
At least I think we did -- being four months since the ride, I might be mis-remembering.

Anyway, all three of us had an enjoyable ride
On a pleasant course,
With pleasant company.

One photo on the day:  Perry's Pond.

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