Thanks for all the input. I carry two bottles with me that together contains 50 oz. I fill these three quarters with Powerade and top it off with water (I find full strength sports drinks taste too sweet by the end of a long ride). Drinking water on a daily basis is no problem - I drink at least 64-96 oz of plain water daily, coffee only on my way to work, club soda (no sodium variety) with lemon if I want something carbonated, no other sodas, decaff herbal tea if I get cold at work.
I didn't think about it, but I did go out with a girlfriend Saturday evening and we split a bottle of wine so maybe this played into my issue.
A salty snack like some of those peanut butter crackers you find in the vending machines or at any gas station. I find the really dry snacks hard to eat on a hot day. Cliff ShotBlocks are usually my thing.
I'd probably knock the powerade ratio to 1/2 instead of 3/4. You really don't need much more than that, especially if you are drinking a lot on a hot day, and you need even less on a cool day. Just make sure you get a good meal in a few hours before you start your ride, and follow a general rule of intaking about 100 calories of 'something' every 45 minutes at least, depending on your level of effort.
A package of peanut butter crackers are my favorite. I like the peanut butter and honey on plain crackers. I put them in a zip lock and eat them as I go. I also don't like gatorade and prefer HEED (high electrolyte energy drink). Moab sells one bottle powder packets that you can mix and try. It doesn't have as much sugar as gatorade.
Hope all of this helps. See you Saturday at the kick off ride. I have other new rider friends who plan to join us.
A couple more tips - On a hot day I drink at least 16 oz. of water before the ride (allowing time to go to the bathroom). I also use a Camelback most of the year but ESPECIALLY on really hot days. Having COLD water so easily accessible is huge when you are out a long time in the heat. I generally drink a lot more with the Camelback than without.