My favorite one day ride from Dallas is to the Talimena Run, with an overnight in Mena, Arkansas. It's not too far, and is really a nice quick one day trip just to get away for a day. I took off yesterday and made the trek alone. I typically will find a buddy to go, but this time just took off, not wanting to coordinate with anyone else, and didn't want to miss the slightly cooler temps this weekend.

Some of my friends want to pass every car we come up on, no matter where or how many bikes there are, some want to ride as many miles as they can every day, some like to stop to look at things, some don't at all. For he most part, I find I am somewhere in the middle of most of the different riders I ride with.

I may have had a better time riding solo than if someone else had gone with me. Stop where/when I want/, go see what I want, take as long as I want, take the roads I want, eat where/when I want, etc. I love the camaraderie of riding with friends, but this trip was most enjoyable. In fact, I'm still on the road grabbing some lunch, and am not worried about the arbitrary deadline to get back home that exists when I ride with others. We take a trip and then it's a race to get home asap for some reason. Today I'm just enjoying myself and not watching the clock.

It appears that a good solo ride is good for the soul. I am already looking forward to the next solo trip.