One of the last “firsts” for this week is a big one and worth mentioning at the top of the post. Izzie and I crossed the 100 miles together mark yesterday afternoon where the thermometer nearly matched our mileage! With that high of heat and our low humidity of a semi-arid climate my mouth was drying out big time so it was kind of nice to have an excuse to pull over part way home from campus and make note of the occasion.
Last Friday DH, “The Lizard”, Izzie and I went for an early dinner and we thought Happy Hour at a Oaxacan restaurant in town. No happy hour specials for us though as they do not apply outside of the bar, despite our having no say in where we were seated or any impediments between us and the bar about 10 feet away. It ended up the specials that day didn’t really interest us anyway, but I still think that was lame. Anyway, back the bike! Sprinkled around town as some artier (though in general less functional or space efficient) bike racks that compliment the businesses they are in front of - like these martini glass bike racks.
I have to admit it is fun to be in a pretty bike-friendly city! If I weren’t I don’t think I could have caught the biking bug so thoroughly.
After dinner we headed out for a bit more of a ride than just going home, but it was cut short. Izzie and I had our first crash. It was pretty traumatic for me mentally. Izzie just got her first little scratch and I a few bruises and Drew irritated an ankle injury from a few weeks ago but other than that we were pretty unscathed.
We were going much slower than we could have because the trail was very heavily populated. We had already encountered several trail users who did not have proper trail etiquette (saying something if passing, not stopping just outside of a tunnel which curves in the wrong lane etc.). We were also coming upon an area of many curves and we gave him fair warning that we would be passing on the left when he let out the lead of his dog so it was in the left lane of the trail. Mistakes happen and I’d give the benefit of the doubt to the guy and his dog who caused the crash except he did not stop to see if we were okay. He didn’t apologize. In fact, he yelled obscenities at as while telling us to learn to ride a bike.
The whole experience kind of turned me off of biking for a few days. I lack the confidence yet to ride the bike lanes on the busy streets and prefer the trails. But I was in no mood to deal with too many people (both pedestrians and cyclists alike) who do not know how to share them. So I didn’t get back on the bike until Tuesday :-(
Tuesday I rode to the gym, did some water aerobics, weight lifting and yoga, then proceeded on my first trip into Old Town. The panniers were pretty full with a large towel, swimsuit, water shoes (exercise ones that are like tennis shoes and have arch support) and I wore my yoga mat crossbody. I have to admit to feeling awfully “hardcore” all packed up like that and biking to/from the gym. On the way home Izzie and I got rained on for the first time. It wasn’t a super hard rain, but more than a sprinkle. I was almost soaked through when we got home. But it wasn’t too bad. I repeated a similar process yesterday and was on our way home when we hit the 100 mile mark.
On Tuesday’s ride to Old Town I noticed this little stencil graffiti in the northbound bike lane on Remington between Spring Creak Trail and Prospect. It makes me smile whenever I see it, so I stopped to take a pic yesterday when I got to it. I haven’t seen more yet. But I kind of hope I do. If you want to see the stencil design better, look at this pic.
Miles Biked: 36.85
Avg Gas Price: $3.39
Gas Money Saved: $6.57
YTD Gas Money Saved: $19.41
How about the rest of you? How was your week and how did you keep moving? Did you have to contend with any weather or people issues too? Was it perhaps the phase of the moon or alignment of the planets that caused such havoc last weekend?
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