Distance Record

I rode east today on the Highline Canal.  I am lucky to live right on the canal.  This gives me great access to the trails that traverse the metro area.
Anyway, I have been riding 5 to12 miles routinely so, today, I wanted to push myself some.  Last weekend, I rode east about 7 miles before turning back.  Today, I planned to try going out 12 miles.  The weather was nice all afternoon. 
When I ride, I listen to audiobooks on my ipod.  My favorites are non-fiction adventure like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.  Today, I listened to K2, another book about the challenges of mountain climbing.  As I was hearing about ice, snow and cold, I rode along the trail passing horses, prairie dogs and 3 golf courses wearing bike shorts and a sleeveless shirt.
At about the 11 mile mark, I was in the rural countyside.  I knew I wasn't far from my goal.  Then, I noticed some signage on the fenceposts next to the trail.  They read, "No Trespassing, Firing Range."
Goals are good but I had already gone further out than ever before.  No reason to push my luck.  I turned around and headed home. 
I ended my ride with 23 miles.  Two hours, 19 minutes of pedaling gave me a new record distance!  Yay!