The Cotton Patch Classic started and finished in downtown Greenville, Tx. I know a lot of people from Greenville, but have never been downtown before. Anyway, the ride started promptly at 9am with riders staged so that the longer distance riders starting up front. In typical fashion, the beginning of the ride was very crowded and stayed that way for the first several miles. My goal in the beginning of any ride is to maintain an honest pace (17-20 MPH in this case), but most importantly, stay out of the way of other riders since this is where I see the most wrecks. My goal for the entire ride is to stay above 15 MPH average and finish healthy and strong.

The race directors did a pretty good job with the rest stops. I found a rest stop nearly every 8 or 9 miles which was nice once I got more than 20 miles in to the ride and started cramping up in my calf. Nothing major, but needed more electrolytes and the rest stop around my mid point of the ride was the only one I found with the pickle juice. I can’t take in simple sugars when I’m doing strenuous exercise so I can’t take the usual Gaterade, Powerade, Gu and other substances that are so popular with other athletes. Recently, I’ve seen a new option during these endurance rides called Pickle Juice Sport (http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/). They claim to have 10 times more electrolytes than any other sports drink. I really don’t know anything other than the fact that it works for me. During the MS150 Frisco to Ft. Worth this stuff really saved me! So, my judgment of properly supported rest areas are based on whether or not there are sugarless items (besides water) that will help me stay on the road. This ride had only one stop with the pickle juice and the only snacks were fruit and cookies - not much for me, but sufficient for the majority of cyclists.

As I just mentioned, I did start feeling a cramp in my calf somewhere around 20 miles in to the ride. I think this was also during the section of roughest road I have ever ridden on in my life. I estimate that it was only about an 8 mile stretch, but the road was so rough, my entire body shook as I pedaled on. Luckily, that was the only stretch like this and it was in the middle of the ride. After hitting the pickle juice and turning back toward Greenville, the road smoothed out, my craps subsided (stretching also helped) and I picked up the pace again.

I had averaged 17.3 MPH over the past 27 miles and I was feeling pretty good about this. I wanted to see if I could push it in to the end and get that average up to 17.5 MPH (over 41 miles). This meant I needed to average more than 18 MPH the rest of the way in. This would mean riding a negative split (completing the second half of the ride faster than my first) and this was still my first ride in over a month. Oh well, I like a challenge and so I pushed it in. The smooth surface really helped and a few downhill sections allowed me to really pick it up (almost 30 MPH a few times). I watched my computer as my average speed slowly moved from 17.3 to 17.4 MPH. I really didn’t think I could maintain a pace fast enough to reach 17.5 MPH, but with only a half mile to the finish, I saw 17.5 MPH displayed on the computer. At the same time, the road turned uphill and I realized I was going to have to really burn my legs up the hill if I was going to keep this average. I stood up on the pedals and got my speed back up to 18 MPH and rode it out to the finish. It was a hard burn, but it nice knowing I could push it in and know that my leg was still feeling fine.

Overall, I thought this was a really nice, casual ride. The scenery was beautiful countryside, not too much traffic and just enough hills to have a few challenges, but not kill anyone. It was well supported with plenty of rest stops and someone at every turn to make sure we all stayed on course. I will be sure to ride this again next year except I’ll cover the 65 mile distance instead.

I have been driving my Honda Ridgeline for more than a year and a half. I’ve had time to really get to know my truck and identify why I really love it. In this post I will identify my top 5 reasons for loving my Ridgeline. My next post will be the 5 things I would like to change, so stay tuned for the flip side of this conversation.

5 Things I Love About My Honda Ridgeline:

1. Solid Frame Construction (rigid unit body) - If you have driven a truck then you know they can be a rough ride at times. The cab and truck bed sections are usually two separate pieces held together underneath. This means each piece can move independently and you will feel each piece when you drive. The Honda Ridgeline as a single rigid unit so the frame is one piece and everything moves together. This means the Honda Ridgeline drives as smooth as a car on the road. It is a much more comfortable ride! When you are in your truck for several hours a day, this can make a big difference.
2. In-Bed Trunk - One of the most interesting features of the Honda Ridgeline is the in-bed trunk space. This is an 8 cubic trunk underneath the truck bed which locks with the rest of the truck. Very cool! A nice bonus of the in-bed trunk is that you can fill it with ice and various beverages and use it as a cooler when you are tailgating or playing a game of flag football. When you are done, just remove the plug in the bottom and let the water and ice drain while you drive home. Of course there is a lot of space for luggage, but having a portable cooler in your truck is much more fun.
3. Spacious Back Seat Area - I was sold on the spacious room in the back seat area when I saw the brochure with the mountain bike standing up in the back. I mountain bike so of course this was a very cool find for me. I like being able to put my bike (road or mountain) in the back seat area and not having to worry about taking the front tire off or having to put it on my bike rack. I have a bike rack on the roof, but that can be cumbersome and an overkill if I’m just going down the road with the bike. Aside from being able to put my bike in the back, it also seats 3 full grown adults which might also be of use to some of you.
4. Tire Pressure Monitoring System - With gas prices the way they are, every little improvement in fuel efficiency counts. Keeping your tires properly inflated is a big part of that efficiency. The Honda Ridgeline monitors your tire pressure automatically and alerts you when a tire needs more air. I’m not the most attentive when it comes to car care so I really appreciate the little things that keep me on track. Another feature I like regarding automated prompts is the oil life indicator. It keeps track of when I need to get my oil changed so I don’t have to think about it at all.
5. Dual Climate Control - We all like to feel comfortable while in the car, but “comfortable” is different for all of us. And, generally, men and women have a greater differential between comfort zones so when my girlfriend, at the time, saw the dual temperature controls she was sold on this vehicle. I like it because I can just tell my date or whoever is in the other seat to make themselves comfortable and I don’t feel like a jerk for only setting it the way I like.

So, now you know my 5 favorite things about my Honda Ridgeline. I promised a friend though, I would add in another favorite item as a bonus so here you go - I really like the color of my truck - Crimson Red. Of course the official color by Honda is dark cherry pearl, but it’s close enough to OU Crimson Red and so we are going with it. If you didn’t know I went to University of Oklahoma, you do now! I was even the webmaster of OU’s athletic department websites for a year.

My parents live on Lake Gaston, which straddles the NC/VA border just west of I95. It’s a huge lake with lots of off shoots and coves. It’s great for anyone who loves to be on a lake, go waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing, or just hanging out and having a great time. The lake was a bit busy on Saturday and Sunday, but was absolutely perfect today! My parents said the tourists were finally going home and they were finally getting their lake back.

The only thing I wish my parents had was a boat to ski behind. I grew up waterskiing and kneeboarding so it’s weird not having that opportunity at the lake. My parents do have a pontoon boat, but it’s really not the same thing - not exactly going to get a wake-to-wake jump behind the pontoon boat. But that’s ok! I’m so out of shape right now (especially the muscles necessary for skiing) that I would probably need another vacation if I had gone skiing all weekend.

While prices are still not that great, they were down right horrible when I went on my 3600 mile road trip last month. Lucky me! I’m not upset though because I had had anticipated high gas prices around the 4th of July and through the rest of that month. But to make it more interesting, I decided to keep track of my mileage and fuel costs and then I could let the rest of you know what kind of gas mileage a Honda Ridgeline really gets.

Before I drop the numbers on you, I want to mention a few things about how I drive that definitely impacts the mileage I get in my Ridgeline. I typically drive about 10 miles over the speed limit at all times. I’ve been known to drive 15 miles over, but almost never drive just the speed limit. If I am driving the speed limit, I’m probably also tailing the guy/girl in front of me who wont’ get out of the left lane so I get on my way. I hate drivers who camp in the left lane!

I pretty much always purchase the medium grade of gasoline. This means I’m purchasing unleaded gasoline that is anywhere between 89 and 92 octane. Also, my Ridgeline is a 2007 model with 36,000 miles on it at the beginning of my road trip. I did recently replace the air filters and I did check tire pressures regularly, but could have used an oil change before starting the trip - my indicator was at 10% oil life by the time I finished the trip. I’m sure the age and exact condition of my Ridgeline impacted my fuel mileage and it’s not likely that I’ll ever get perfect conditions for the absolute best MPG possible.

My Ridgeline Gas Mileage Spreadsheet

If you check out the spreadsheet above, you’ll see that I averaged just under 17mpg (16.84mpg to be exact) over 3600 miles, through 10 states. Not too bad for a truck of this size. Honda estimates that the Ridgeline (all models 2007 to 2009 have the same estimates) should get 15 MPG in the city, 20 MPG on the highway for a combined 17 MPG average. My Ridgeline had a combined MPG close to 17, but I never reached 20 MPG on the highway. With the exception of when I was driving through the mountains, I always got better than 15 MPG. The mountains did kill my gas mileage considerably. For roughly 730 miles of driving between the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Rocky Mountain Mountains of Colorado, my gas mileage was only 14.9 MPG including all highway miles. Of course, living in that kind of scenery may just be worth the extra gas you spend to get around.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the gas mileage I got. I would have liked to see 20 MPG at some point, but as long as I stay above 15 MPG in the city, I’ll call it a fair compromise. I will continue to update this spreadsheet and include my mileage as I commute every day in Dallas. That will give us a pretty good idea of the city gas mileage.

Let me know what kind of gas mileage you get so we can compare notes - well, except for Andy who drives a dinky hybrid, but couldn’t put a set of golf clubs in the back seat.

After leaving Rocky Mountain National Park I had planned on going to Moab for some mountain biking. I tried to find a guide to help out as I heard the safest and best way to experience Moab is someone with experience on the local trails. Finding a guide turned out to be pretty difficult and then it was 110 degrees when I drove in to town. These two factors combined to convince me that mountain biking in Moab this summer might not be a good idea so after getting some gas, I just kept on driving.

What I didn’t realize after leaving Moab is that there is damn near nothing between Moab and the Grand Canyon. Towns were scarce and the ones that did exist were too small to support a restaurant. By 6pm I was a little concerned about dinner. I had plenty of food in the truck, but I was really hoping for a decent dinner. About that time, I was driving in to Mexican Hat, Utah. Mexican Hat is a town of approximately 32 people (it was hotly debated and could be anywhere between 30 and 34 people). I nearly drove right by The Swinging Steak, but it somehow caught my eye and I swung the truck around to the parking lot to see if I could get some dinner here. The Swinging Steak turned out to be the best place to get a steak for miles and miles! It also turned out to be an international hot spot. As crazy as it may sound, at least 5 different groups from 4 different European countries were represented in this far out of the way restaurant and hotel. I decided to stay the night and just happened to get the last open room. Who would have thought in the middle of now where I’d stop at such an international destination. I met two different Dutch groups and hung out with them all night. There was a family of four and another, separate couple from Holland. We had a great time talking about Europe, the US and the road trips we were all taking. In the middle of this, I also witnessed my first sand storm. The sand surrounded us (did I mention the restaurant and bar were outside?) as it blew through the patio. I’ve never seen so much sand - it was impossible to see even a few feet in front of you. Luckily it lasted only a few minutes and after wiping down the bar and clearing the dust from everything, we all got back to our drinks and conversations. To perfect the night even more, our entertainment was a local singer who sang nothing but Willie songs all night - it was awesome!

The next day I drove on to the Grand Canyon. I didn’t plan to stay more than a day but I really wanted to find a good hike in to the canyon while I was here. I drove the southern rim to the visitor’s center and stopped at the scenic overlooks along the way. I decided the hike I was most interested in would be the South Kaibab Trail. The South Kaibab Trail is about 6 miles to the Colorado River, but that was too far to go in and out in one day. I decided to go just 3 miles down and then come back up. After my 8 mile hike in the Rockies, I thought this would be a good distance - little did I know how hard this hike would be. The first three miles were great. Of course it was all downhill. As I turned around and started on my way back up, I realized just how much I underestimated the climb back out. The first mile back was ok, but it wasn’t long before I was hiking only 100 yards at a time before having to rest again. It was a brutal hike out, but I did make it and I got lots of really great pics along the way.

After the Grand Canyon visit, I decided that I was pretty much done with the road trip and ready to head home. I had just a few more places to visit in Arizona before hitting the road home. I spent the first night in Flagstaff and enjoy a casual dinner and evening in town. Had I gotten here earlier I could’ve enjoyed the beer festival going on at the same time but I apparently made it a little late. The next day I drove to Jerome, AZ. This is a really neat little town situated on the side of a mountain so that houses are all on one sithat is somewhat of a cross between a very artsy community and lots of bikers, but somehow it just works here. So, if you are looking for some great handmade artwork and lots of good little restaurants and twisty roads to challenge the best of drivers, then you really need to check out Jerome.

After spending the night in Sedona, Arizona, I hit the road back to Dallas. It took about 15 hours from Sedona, but I made the drive straight though (small nap on the way). I can’t tell you how nice it was to get back home! I even had a few extra days in my vacation to relax at home, get my gear cleaned up and take care of a few things around the house before starting back to work on Monday.