Riding for a key

In my rush on Saturday I left the house key in the center console of the rental car when we returned it.  The facility was closed on Sunday, so I rode down to today to hopefully retrieve it.  Being a big chicken when it comes to riding on roads with traffic I mapped as much as I could on secondary roads.  In Panama that means gravel, or more correctly rocks!   I noted that the map had street names for all of them, but even in towns street signs are non existent.  I put the route on my phone with the sound turned on high, put the phone in my backpack with the RWGPS app running.

It was kind of fun riding along and hearing my "navigator" telling me to "turn right on Av 3a Oeste" in 100 yds" and knowing that I had to turn, even though there were no signs, or in some cases not even what looked like a road.

I did know that they would continue through, and weren't just an access to some coffee farm.

I had to get on the main highway with about 2 miles to go to my destination.  The shoulder was wide, so I didn't feel too unsafe as I rolled along (downhill) at just over 30 mph.  The traffic was travelling in the 35-40 mph range. The speed limit is 60kmh............and there were few opportunities for cars to turn right.

I arrived and the owner of the business met me at the door with the key in his hand.  (I had called telling him I was coming for a key I likely had left in the white Honda car)

I thanked him, took the key, and started back UP the hill.  I had a wide shoulder on this side too and just chugged my way along.

I had mapped alternate roads here too and took them as soon as I was able.

When it was time to cross the main highway I noted that it was good that I had taken an alternate road.  The main road had lost its wide shoulder prior to the point I crossed it.

I arrived back at the house and was met with all smiles!
9.1 miles, 1121 ft of climbing.  

I took a quick shower, got into some clean clothes, then rode down to my lady friend's restaurant.

I only had to ride a road big enough to have lines painted on it for about 200 ft. ;-)  The rest was on sidewalks or secondary roads, that in this instance were paved.

2.3 miles, and surprising to me was 157 ft of climbing.  It had to all came in the mid point of the ride where I was to the left of the main highway. Maximum speed on the segment was 31.1 mph, rolling down the hill right after my first right turn.  The highway at my first left is actually more steep, but I was on a sidewalk on the far side of a concrete barrier so I was keeping my speed down.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total

Today ......0.................0.................11....................0...........11

Jan.........0.................. 0..................0.....................0..............0

Feb.........0..................0..................0.....................0...............0

March.......0.................0................0.....................0...............0

April.......0.................0..................0......................0...............0

May.........0..................0................41....................0..............41


YTD..........0...............0.................41.....................0..............41