Bike MS Training – All the recent rides

Well friends, with all the recent upsetting events like hurricanes and earthquakes I’ve been putting this off – but no longer. For the 10th year in a row I’m riding in a Bike MS event. My goal has always been to ride for 10 years and then take a break. In the past 9 years, I’ve raised $18,410 for the National MS Society, a cause close to my heart. I’d love to break $20,000 in my 10th year fundraising. I know far too many people affected by Multiple Sclerosis and I’m confident that researchers can find a cure in my lifetime.

This year I’m riding in Bike MS: Valero Ride to the River, a ride close to home. It goes from San Antonio to New Braunfels, covering 160 miles in two days, October 7th & 8th.

I’ve been training all summer even though I haven’t been updating my blog. Most of the rides cover the same routes I usually ride so I haven’t taken as many photos (but there are some below for you to enjoy). This past weekend I rode 81 miles on Saturday and 38 miles on Sunday. Follow me on Strava to see all my cycling exploits.

I’ve kicked off fundraising with a personal donation. Will you join me?
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/laurafeeney2017

 

And now for the photos!

Uh, I think there was a pony in this shot but it’s really hard to tell now.

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These are sheep.DCIM100GOPRO

Old ugly railroad bridge seen through my foggy gopro lens.DCIM100GOPRO

Old country road lined with trees (again with the foggy gopro lens).DCIM100GOPRO

Country church.DCIM100GOPRO

The Cele store.DCIM100GOPRO

Texas sure is big sky country.

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Cows in a flowery field.DCIM100GOPRO

Nicely paved ranch road.DCIM100GOPRO

Donkeys!DCIM100GOPRO

This was soon after Harvey rained on us all weekend so the little creek was quite full.DCIM100GOPRO

I love the open road early in the morning.DCIM100GOPRO

This house has such a cute yard with the little shed and windmill and pond.DCIM100GOPRO

Flowering trees along the road into Elgin.DCIM100GOPRO

An old house down a dirt path in the countryside.DCIM100GOPRO

Elgin town square – I’ve been taking a break in the shade here almost every Saturday.DCIM100GOPRO

I’ve been varying up my routes as much as I can and have found some new cemeteries.DCIM100GOPRO

 

Recent baking exploits

So I’ve been very, very bad about updating my blog. I have been baking and crafting, just not with the same frequency as I used to. Recently I got some good baking in and thought I’d share.

I’ve been craving apple fritters for multiple months now, but don’t eat them often since they’re fried. I came across a recipe for baked apple fritters and gave it a shot during the weekend where we stayed indoors due to nonstop rain from Harvey. I followed the recipe exactly and the only note I have was that you don’t have to make so much glaze.

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My second delicious baking adventure was a peach upside down cake using delicious in-season peaches that the grocery store has right now. I have a few changes / notes on this recipe:

  1. Used ginger in place of nutmeg. Ginger and peaches are delicious together!
  2. I made extra caramel topping after reading the comments, but I think the original amount would be better. If I were to make extra of anything in the future, it could have used a bit more cake batter.
  3. I baked it in a springform pan because it’s the only cake pan I have that size. I put foil around the bottom to catch any caramel leaks. It did leak a tiny bit.
  4. I did not serve the cake with creme fraiche since Whole Foods was out of it. It was delicious eaten on its own.
  5. The cake took much longer to bake than the recipe called for, like 45 – 50 min instead of 30 min.

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Very shortly I’ll start posting about biking since this year’s Bike MS is just a month away. So stay tuned!