Unseasonably warm temperatures for February meant getting on the bike for a gravel roads ride up to Raymond, NE. It's about 25 miles round-trip from my house in the Highlands. I took N. 1st Street up to Waverly road, then over to NW 40th Street up to Raymond. Following a brief Powerbar break in Raymond, I took Raymond Road down to James Arthur Vineyards. Here, I did a little wine tasting. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nebraska wines, there are few to choose from (and rightly so). James Arthur actually makes a decent red wine, ironically enough called Nebraska Red. A couple of sommeliers at the vineyard made the comment that I was their first cyclist. I found that hard to believe, but they added that they see bikers, not cyclists. It was a proud moment.After some pictures and wine tasting, I wandered back onto Raymond Road and took NW 27th back toward Lincoln. In route, I was chased by 3 dogs on two separate occasions. The first 2 dogs almost got to me; the 3rd dog didn't stand a chance. Kind of scary, though, when these dogs dart out of nowhere and start chasing you. Overall, it was a nice two-hour adventure on the 29'er.
