Greensboro, NC

Exciting things that happened to me today:

1. I got another stamp - Guilford Courthouse National Park - bringing my total to 43.
2. I had a great ride - Smartly, I took my bicycle to ride the auto tour at the park. Great surprise - the auto tour route connected to Greensboro greenways so I was able to get in about a 14 mile ride with no cars! The greenway was nicely paved and was very scenic, skirting around several large ponds.
3. I saw a swan. Big deal, you say? Well, big deal indeed. I have never seen a swan - not one that wasn't in a zoo or kept in some sort of park exhibit. But there he (or was it a she?) was floating in the pond just off the trail, preening away.
4. I had my first wreck on the new bicycle. Well, maybe wreck isn't the correct word - wreck evokes visions of going head-over-handlebars. And it wasn't all that impressive - it was actually more of a tip-over than a wreck. I pedalling hard up a hill and apparently, I am not as strong as I thought I was. I (Stupidly!) tried to downshift from my big chainring and (stupidly!) I didn't let off of pedalling. So the chain downshifted all right - it downshifted all the way off. So there I was pedalling like there was no tomorrow and (of course!) making no progress. So down I went - I think it hurt my pride more than anything although my left hand and my left hip are a little sore. Thankfully, no one was around!
5. I ate at Brixx Pizza. I stopped thinking of getting a good, crispy wood-fired pizza but saw that they had pasta pomodoro - so I got that instead. It was delicious!
6. I bought a bag that attaches under my seat on my bicycle. After the little mishap (#4 above), I (stupidly!) just got back on my bike and rode on. I made it to the top of the big hill and had stopped to cross the road when I felt in my pocket....Panic!.....No car key! Nope, not in the other pocket either. So back down the hill I rode - to "the spot". Thankfully, just lying there in the middle of the path were my car keys!!