Big Dog's Blog: GREAT WEEKEND!

First things first: Happy Belated Valentine's Day! (or as La Raza says it, "Valentimes Day). Friday I played the part of the cost conscious but thoughtful husband, as I personally delivered 1.5 dozen roses to Mel at work. It surprised her and got me brownie points, so it was worth it.

Since Valentine's Day is all about the women, I asked her how she wanted to spend the day. Initially we thought we'd go to the McNay after lunch and see their new exhibits, then eat dinner somewhere. Saturday morning, she decided we would forgo the McNay visit, and go to the Shoemaker's Inn for their going out of business sale.

Shoemaker's Inn is a San Antonio institution (or was, they closed yesterday). They were having a HUGE sale on men's and women's shoes. Florsheim and Rockport men's shoes that are normally $150 were on sale for $20/pair.

As I waited in line for AN HOUR, I watched their longtime employees pose for pictures with each other. Many of them were 50+ years old and you just wonder if they were able to find other jobs. Many of them had worked there many, many years. It was quite sad.

After I bought two pair of shoes and Mel bought a few more, we decided to head over to Soluna, one of our favorite restaurants on Broadway. We beat the crowds as we arrived at almost 5 PM. I thought we might have to take out a few Senior Citizens at that hour, but I guess it was past their bed time. I'll ask Mom; she'll know.

After dinner, we stopped by Central Market for some champagne and decadent desserts to take home and enjoy. Yes, we DID count everything we ate yesterday. Needless to say, we both had a great Valentine's Day since we spent the whole day together. Who could ask for more?

By they way, Mel and I BOTH lost weight at weigh in yesterday. I lost almost 3 pounds, which more that made up for last week's disappointing result (but I'm SO over that). So far, I've lost 10 pounds since we started in January.

This morning was gray and overcast; not ideal conditions for a ride. It was even sprinkling, so I ALMOST talked myself out of riding. I fought the demons and soon found myself at Salado Creek Greenbelt Trail again. If you remember, the first time I rode there, I broke a couple of spokes, so I wasn't able to finish the ride that day.

Today my bike performed like a champ! I was able to ride further than I did last time, going past Loop 1604 to the North. Seeing the canyon cliffs and rugged terrain, you would never know you are in the midst of a city. The only telltale sign was a water main cover here and there. The one pictured below looks like an island in the creek bed bottom, as the ground has eroded around it. This is NOT a place you would want to get caught in a flash flood.

Not wanting to continue riding the loose rock much further, I turned around and headed back to the trail head. In all, I rode 12.5 miles in just over 2.5 hours.

I was pretty tired, but extremely satisfied when I got back to the truck. Not only had I ridden further than I had in a LONG time, I also tackled a couple of ledges I couldn't jump last time, since I broke my spokes. A foot high ledge doesn't seem like much, but if you don't jump it just right, you'll wind up going over the handlebars and busting your noggin.