That's it, then, for real this time

31 miles at a relaxed pace. Tomorrow Ruby goes to the JDRF West Michigan chapter office to go on the big field trip to Asheville with all the other bikes!

I think I'm anthropomorphizing my bike a bit much. Of course, I've been in rather intimate contact with this machine for almost 2400 miles this year!

Anyway, it's getting chilly out there. A ride ending around 7 p.m. finishes in the mid-50's, which is pretty serious bundling up weather on the bike. In addition to the usual shorts and jersey, today I had fleece-lined leg warmers (basically thigh-high tights) and some heavy lycra arm warmers, and I would have been happy to have another layer on top.

Coming home from The North on the Hart to Montague rail trail, I passed the New Era Canning Company. They'd gone into hard-core Autumn mode, with what appeared to be a pumpkin canning operation set up in one of their parking lots. I could see whole pumpkins going through a wash of some sort, then going through a machine that apparently chopped them up. At then end of that, there were a group of people sorting out the nasty chunks. I don't remember seeing that last fall, but it was a pretty neat operation.

Time to go pack Ruby up...