I had never been to a writing conference before and learned about this one (as luck would have it) just AFTER it happened two years ago. It was then and there that I set reminders everywhere to insure I’d get to the next one! You see, I fancy myself a humor writer. Whether I am one or not (yet) is not relevant. My favorite part of The Arts is comedy — in nearly any form. Who doesn’t love a well-written sitcom, a hilarious stand-up routine, a punchy one-liner, or a silly movie that’s so dumb it’s funny?

The most cherished part of my personal book collection is the comedian biographies: Carol Burnett, Martin Short, Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Steve Martin, Ellen - and too many others to mention. These bastions of comedy have such wonderful stories to tell, offering a glimpse into their world for envious outsiders like myself. While I will never be an Amy Poehler, I can appreciate hearing how she got where she is and following all the interweaving and overlapping threads that led her and others to comedic stardom. In that sense, my own humor writing is my way to dive into that wished-for world. Writing humorous pieces for myself, my family, or for publication is a little sliver of that life and a way to gain a small sense of belonging amongst those I truly admire.

And what better place to find belonging that the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop? An assemblage of mostly women and, amongst them, mostly 50+. Kind of the way we picture the late Erma herself, frozen in time. The demographic was exactly what I was expecting, but it was still somewhat shocking to sit in a room of “mature” women and wonder if we really had much in common. At the ripe age of 55, I just can’t quite come to consider myself “old”. But I am here to say that, for better or worse, I fit right in! We all came from different backgrounds, vocations, and geographic locations, but comedy is a universal tie that binds. I didn’t meet a single person who was unfriendly, indifferent, or arrogant. Everyone had their own stories to tell and were in various stages of their writing or publishing careers. Yet the vibe was so fully warm and welcoming that any initial anxiety about walking into a room of 400 strangers melted away immediately. Also, I had fun admiring the fun and eccentric eyeglasses many of the women wore. Plus, there was cake! (The cake at Erma is renowned and part of the lore.) Put all together, I left the workshop feeling like a little bit of magic happened. Not to mention, I met a woman who looked so much like my own mother that after multiple double-takes I had to approach her to make sure we weren’t related. (We’re not. Probably. Aunt Barbara??)

While the conference is largely based on humor writing, there are other genres explored as well: publishing, memoir writing, marketing, etc. Because I went with the sole intent to become a stronger humor writer, I chose only humor sessions for the duration. I wanted to be fully steeped in the art form and not miss a moment of the unique guidance. To that end, I attended workshops with names such as “Taking Your Piece from Haha to Hilarious”, “How to Write A Humor Essay That’s Actually Funny”, and “The Writer’s Room in Your Brain”. I also attended a stand up comedy workshop (and evening performance) just for fun. I did *NOT* perform any stand up comedy, but marveled at the extreme bravery of other attendees who did. Maybe next time.

The workshop also had illustrious and engaging keynote speakers at every meal. They were all inspirational, doling out their collected wisdoms and fascinating paths to writing success. A highlight for me was Sona Movsesian, cohost of the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend”. I ended up buying two copies of her book The World’s Worst Assistant - one to add to my humor collection and one for my son who also enjoys the podcast. Of course, having her sign them was a memorable moment for me - she was so gracious and hilarious in person. I can see how she’s gotten as far as she has!

It’s too soon to tell if my writing will be better (or funnier) based on the wisdom that was imparted in my direction, but I came away with some renewed excitement about the possibilities. I met some truly remarkable people and just seeing other attendees who were making this work for themselves out of sheer determination and creativity was motivating and encouraging. One of my main intentions was to figure out where to publish future pieces. My ears perked up at every suggestion and I came away able to make a nice Google Doc of recommendations. It’s linked here in case any of my new workshop friends are reading. Or any dear readers have a hankering for humor writing!

Yes, this is mainly a bike riding (read: writing) blog, but it’s time for me to show you another side of myself. No one is that one-dimensional! And it’s writing-adjacent, so it’s relevant. As Erma famously said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.” So here I am, putting my dreams out there for the world to see. Erma also said, “Never have more children than you have car windows.” That woman knew her stuff.

Several other conference attendees have also written about the workshop, natch. In the first one here for the Dayton Daily News, I can be seen yukking it up in the background!

My weekend at Erma: Finding the funny when the world feels heavy by Pamela Chandler

Erma Bombeck’s Legacy Isn’t Just Humor, It’s Belonging by Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

The Sounds of Silence by Carol White Llewellyn

Erma Bombeck Recap by Bob Eckstein

Musings from Erma Bombeck workshop: ‘If they didn’t want you to write about them, they should have been nicer’ by Mary McCarty

The Ingredients for A Successful Writing Career by Tiffany Yates Martin

6 Takeaways From the Erma Bombeck Conference by Julie Vick

If I see more of these published, I will keep adding them. Turns out what I’m really good at is collating and organizing things!

Suffice it to say, it’s been a weird “winter”. But now it’s time to welcome the longer days and greener vistas and embrace the opportunities to be outdoors. We’ve done a few short bike rides here and there during some of the warmer days, but nothing too noteworthy. We had a fun little ride around Louisville last weekend. As is often the case, we ended up at a local establishment.

Looking further out, however, there is some excitement to report. We’ve booked a trip to France in early September where we will be doing a 6-day bike tour of the Burgundy region (Bourgogne). Obviously, this area is well known for it’s wine production. Additionally, the town of Dijon is famous for its mustard and Burgundy is the birthplace of coq-au-vin and beef bourguignon, natch. Comme c’est délicieux! Aside from gastronomy, however, the area is rich in history in and of itself, which I hope to become more acquainted with.

Our trip will start with three days in Paris. I’ve never been, so I’m very excited to see this magical city. I know three days is not nearly enough time, so we will have to plan wisely. Please send any recommended spots you think we’d enjoy to the comments section. I’ve already got my eye on The Cheese Museum and Musee d’Orsay. We’d also like to catch some live jazz and will be staying near a jazz club called Sunset/Sunside. I don’t really care who is playing as long as we get a Parisian jazz experience.

For the bike tour, we went with an outfit called BikeTours.com. They operate internationally and had decent reviews. So far I’ve been impressed with the booking experience. I requested the trip online and then waited one week for them to confirm it. A few days later they sent us our list of hotels. The tour is self guided, but they provide routes and maps and someone will be delivering our luggage to each hotel. I believe breakfasts are also included. This type of freedom on a trip is very enjoyable. We like being able to choose our own pace and side trips (read: wineries) and meals. They offered an option for standard bikes or e-bikes. We chose standard since the daily mileage is manageable and it’s not very hilly terrain along a voie verte, or greenway. We’ll be cycling along canals and past vineyards and quaint countryside. Que c’est jolie! We also chose the upgraded lodging package. I’ve never been to France and at age 55 I don’t know if or when I’ll return, so I figure I had better savor the experience and get as much enjoyment from it as possible. That’s what money is for, right?

Speaking of money, I’ve decided to semi-retire, which just means that I’m not planning to return to my school job next year. It frees us up for travel just like this. I have lots of fun ideas for part-time employment that won’t interfere with travel, so I’m not saying I’m actually retiring. Just moving on to different things. I’ve been enjoying another Substack blogger, Jo Barnes, (“The Over 50 Nomad Club”) who writes about how to fund international travel with small business ideas. I like her sense of adventure and her ability to make her business ideas work. She recently put out a deck of scratch-off travel cards called “This Big Travel Challenge” that are a fun way to add excitement to any adventure. I just purchased a deck and I’m hoping to have some fun with these this summer - and in France!

On a similar topic, I recently watched a great Ted Talk about “multipotentiates” - people who have many different callings. This really resonated with me. I tend to get bored if I stay with one thing for too long. Which is why I really enjoy writing because I can choose the topic, the target audience, and also often the medium/publication. I do plan to keep writing! I better hurry up and get a million subscribers to this blog so I can fund these trips. Haha. But seriously… tell your friends!

For today’s musical accompaniment to the article, I’ve chosen “If I Had A Million Dollars” by the Barenaked Ladies because not only would that fund a lot of fun trips, but it mentions “Dijon” in the lyrics. (Why DON’T we have Dijon ketchups???)

Well… on this long weekend trip to Frisco, Greg suggested riding to Copper Mountain. It took a few minutes until it sunk in that this was essentially the same trip I had planned for that fateful summer. Only now it was late into autumn and it was happening spur of the moment. The only change was that we would ride up to Copper Mountain about 10 miles away instead of to the top of Vail Pass 15 miles away. That sounded perfect to me since I’d noticed my heart rate remaining pretty high since we’d arrived. No need to push it!

We relaxed and prepared our gear at the house until mid-morning, waiting for the temperature to get up to something just past bone-chilling. With our layers on and our bikes packed, we headed out at around 10 a.m. when the mercury had risen to just above freezing. It was a beautiful, clear blue sky day. Or as people here like to say, a “bluebird sky”. I do slightly bristle at the misuse of that term since the actual definition refers to a clear sky the DAY AFTER a storm. First world problems, let’s move on.

We set out the same way as we rode into town the day before. We took the Dillon Reservoir Recpath to downtown. Then, we went all the way west to the end of Main Street and got on the Tenmile Creekpath at the trailhead off of Forest Drive. It was very easy to find. From here, it’s only about 6.5 miles to Copper Mountain.

As we headed southwest, we had a small stretch of sunlit path, but it was quickly swallowed up by the shade of the north facing mountains. I realized then that time of day could make a big difference on this ride. It was chilly, for sure, so I wanted to come around a bend and find some sunshine. Which we eventually did. There was only one TINY patch of snow on the trail (like 30 feet) and it was easily navigable. It was more like a dusting. As we rode, our body temperatures rose and we stayed comfortable and enjoyed the breathtaking views.

Speaking of breathtaking, this trail heads uphill all the way to Copper Mountain, but it’s fairly gradual most of the way. There are no huge uphill battles. The total elevation gain was around 700 feet. I did engage my e-bike motor a few times to take the edge off. It should be mentioned that only Class One e-bikes are allowed on this trail. It’s a shared path with walkers.

If you don’t own an e-bike or are not feeling super-human, you can get a shuttle to Vail Pass from Rebel Ski and Bike on Main Street in Frisco. It’s about $45 plus the purchase of a bike rental. They offer e-bikes and standard bikes. If you take the shuttle, you’re only cycling eastbound and down.

One of the first interesting things we saw along the ride was the abandoned entrance to an old mine. Apparently, there are several along the path, but this is the one we noticed. The Kitty Innes Mine was one of many silver mines in the area and was active as recently as the early 1900s. I didn’t have to leave the trail to get this picture. It’s right there!

At about the halfway point, we also came to some public restrooms, FYI.

Although the paved path parallels Interstate 70, it’s far enough away that traffic is not a concern. In fact, you have to look for it and I don’t recall ever hearing it. In some places you don’t see the highway at all.

We finally came out of the mountain shadows and enjoyed sunlight the rest of the way to Copper.

Once we arrived at Copper Mountain, we were able to ride our bikes right up to the base and watch skiers come down the ONE open run. Our family has spent many, many years skiing at Copper and it was definitely a different feeling to ride up to the chairlift on a bike.

We sat in the comfy Adirondack chairs and enjoyed a snack while we watched skiers and snowboarders make their first turns of the season on manmade snow. What a crazy juxtaposition to have just wheeled up on our bikes, now feeling warm from the exercise and sunlight. Penny behaved herself and appreciated that the sign was inclusive enough to speak her language.

The ride home was a thrill! 6 miles of pure downhill!! I topped out a max speed of 27 mph. FUN!

We only passed two other cyclists and one walker the entire time we were on the trail. That’s definitely owing to the season as I’m sure the trail is much busier in the warmer summer months. By the time we reached Frisco, we were burning up and had to shed layers.

Here’s a map of the trip out:

We drove into Frisco late morning on a sunny Saturday and it felt chilly when we arrived. There was also a bit of a breeze, making it seem even colder. We’ve been having very mild and dry weather back in the Denver Metro area so this definitely felt like the mountains. Things looked very pretty in that brownish-autumn way after the leaves have fallen, but winter hasn’t quite set in. The air was crisp and fresh and it felt good to get out of town for a while and enjoy this more laid back environment. We had lunch on an outdoor patio downtown with Penny Dog, but definitely felt a nip in the breeze.

Frisco has a truly delightful downtown area and has earned itself the nickname “Main Street of the Rockies”. Frisco itself sits at the northern end of the Tenmile Range and is nestled at the base of Peak 1. The rest of Tenmile snakes down toward Breckenridge, where skiers and snowboarders can schuss for miles on peaks 6 through 10. But back to Frisco. It’s a spectacular setting for a mountain town with iconic views in every direction. It’s not touristy like most of the nearby ski towns hawking souvenirs and t-shirts in every other store. Frisco has a nice mixture of shops and restaurants - and no franchises, all true small businesses. (We did pass a Rocket Fizz candy shop, but a sign outside said they were moving to Breckenridge. Which, by the way, has chain restaurants like Bubba Gump right downtown.) Frisco has a small town charm and feels authentic. It has at least 6 major ski resorts within 25 miles: Breckenridge (8 mi), Copper Mountain (8 mi), Keystone (11mi), Arapahoe Basin (16 mi), Loveland (16 mi), Vail (25 mi), — and Beaver Creek is just under 40 miles away. It’s a really central place to stay when you’re skiing Summit County and because it’s out of the fray, it has maintained that real-town feel.

Frisco has my favorite Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Peppino’s Pizzeria. Their calzones are easily spread over two-meals and to-die-for delicious!! This is not an exaggeration.

There’s also a great brewpub we always seem to visit in Frisco called Outer Range. It’s not downtown, but closer to the interstate. They often have live music and it’s a nice place to hang out for an evening. This time around we also checked out Highside Brewing where there was literally a dog (or two) at every table! Outer Range only allows dogs in their quasi-outside seating area, but at Highside they are encouraged everywhere. If you go, try the Cherry Mule - it’s a gose (sour beer) with black cherries and ginger. Very refreshing and not too sour at all. Highside is also a BBQ joint, but we didn’t try it because I was so eager to get to Peppino’s! We did enjoy their pinball machines before we left though.

On Sunday mid-morning, we put on lots of layers and headed downtown on our bikes. I had forgotten my thin beanie, so I had nothing on my head except my helmet. This was the only cold spot I noticed as we rode into town. Jamie’s place is really close to the western shore of Dillon Reservoir, so we took the paved trail called the Dillon Reservoir Recpath south toward downtown. It snakes past the marina and then you cross the highway (Hwy 9/Summit Blvd) to reach Main Street (see map below). If we had stayed on this trail, it would circle the entire reservoir and end up back in town about 19 miles later. That is an adventure for our next trip to Frisco.

We parked and locked the bikes and poked around downtown on foot for a couple hours before heading back to the house. Even though it was a Sunday, all the shops seemed to be open, which was nice. The weather had warmed a bit and it felt comfortable for the short ride back.

This was a great outing to prove to ourselves that we’re not just fair-weather riders. We can layer up and get out there in the cold! And that’s exactly what we did the next day when we rode to Copper Mountain. Stay tuned for Part 2!

For a peek at all the paved trails in and around Frisco, check out this map:

The blue trail is the Dillon Reservoir Recpath that took us to downtown and also circumnavigates the entire Reservoir. The green one that heads directly south is the one that Jamie and I rode in June to Breckenridge. And the orange one is the Tenmile Recpath that leads to Copper Mountain.

The ferry took us on a delightfully scenic 90-minute voyage through the San Juan Islands via the Georgia Straight to our landing at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. The views were stunning and the ride was quite smooth. I’d forgotten to take anything for potential sea-sickness, but fortunately didn’t need it.

If you’re traveling with a pet, your options are to leave them in your vehicle or to accompany them to a small pet-sanctioned area on the starboard side of the vessel on Level 6. It’s a small area, but it’s nice to get some fresh air and be able to appreciate the scenery. It is rather breezy and cool up there, however, so packing extra layers and a hoodie or beanie is recommended.

Once the ferry landed at Swartz Bay, it was about a half hour drive to the capital city of Victoria. Victoria is not the capital of Canada - that’s Ottawa - but is the capital of the province of British Columbia. It’s a quaint and colonial city of about 100,000 and has a bustling downtown harbor. Unbeknownst to us, there was a huge antique car festival taking place the day we arrived — which happened to be on the street right in front of our hotel. It was a bit overwhelming trying to navigate the crowds of people admiring these impeccably polished and restored cars. We’re not really what you’d call “car people” so to us it was large and unexpected crowd, occasionally punctuated by the piercing growls of the old engines revving and sputtering. Our room was somewhere in that cluster of orange umbrellas. We were told this car show only comes around every three or four years.

We navigated our way out of the crowd and enjoyed an outdoor lunch on Victoria Harbor with a view of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, a.k.a. parliamentary buildings. This was taken from our table at Milestones Bar and Grill. I tried my first Bellini here and had a very nice seafood Cobb salad.

For our afternoon entertainment, we hopped on the bikes to check out the Dallas Road Trail, which hugs the southern coastline of the downtown area. We navigated some roads in town from our hotel to our starting point in Fisherman’s Wharf Park. We found Dallas Road at the westernmost corner of the park and rode alongside a few cars for about a half mile until we reached the waterfront (near Pilot St.). From here, the shared bike/pedestrian trail follows the coastline of the Salish Sea for just over 3 miles. It’s well paved and well marked and not completely flat, but also not hilly by any means. It’s an easy ride at sea level and the scenery was spectacular.

About halfway down the trail, we were approached by an older couple on an e-bike with two small white dogs in a front basket. The woman in the back was recording video on a cell phone and they were both wearing lapel mics. They were making content for their YouTube (or was it TikTok?). I guess we’re on someone’s vlog, but now I can’t remember the name of it. They were truly excited to see other bike riders with a dog in a basket. They seemed like a quirky old couple. Is this going to be me and Greg in a few years??

Continuing down the trail, we came to Clover Point, which juts out into the sea. We rode all the way out to the tip, Point Zero, to enjoy the view. (Not to be confused with Mile Zero, commemorating the beginning of the 5,000 mile long Trans Canadian Highway. This marker is just one mile west of Point Zero and can be easily visited from the Dallas Road trail.) We also enjoyed some delicious treats from a lone food truck parked at the point called Walnut Cakes. We tried the taiyaki fish-shaped cakes, which are a Korean treat. These were soft and had a vanilla custard filling. I also got a fresh mango lemonade. Everything was delicious! They also gave Penny a treat, so this shop gets our top rankings.

Just past the point, the trail descends onto a concrete path that parallels Dallas Road, but is several feet lower and protected by a berm. It feels less natural and more manicured here, but is still very beautiful.

One little oddity I found was along this stretch. Someone has set up a small table along the concrete wall (you can see it in the picture above) and placed an old rotary phone on it. It’s called a “Wind Phone” and it’s a quiet, peaceful place to say whatever is on your heart or mind. Next to the phone was a pad of paper with some tributes to lost loved ones. Apparently there is an online network of maps to guide you to other wind phone locations. A cursory glance shows of that site about 450 of these around the world. These are the little things in life we certainly miss when we travel only by car.

We rode a bit further and reached St. Charles Street where the trail ends, so we turned around to do it all over again from the other direction. This is a picture near the turnaround spot. It’s so scenic!

Heading in this new direction we got a good view of the cruise ships docked in the area.

Just beyond this point we were able to hop off the trail and take some city side streets back to our hotel. Here is the route highlighted in pink. It was about 8 miles out and back with the added segments to and from the hotel (not included on the map). We stayed at the Days Inn on the Harbor, which I don’t really recommend. Great location, but in massive need of updates if not a total teardown. But for one night it served our purposes. I’ll include a picture of the room that was taken as we prepped for the next day’s ride at the end of this post.

Victoria is not a bad town to cycle through, even on the downtown roads. In fact, we took some of these the next morning so we could check out some of the longer trails in the area, including the Galloping Goose and the Lochside Regional Trail. We started by riding through downtown Victoria to arrive at the Galloping Goose Trailhead, which is near the futuristic looking Johnson Street Bridge (which glows bright blue at night, as noted from our hotel room).

After the bridge you take a right (heading north) on Harbor Road, which has a dedicated bike lane. Just before the road curves away from the water, the trail breaks off on the right to continue north. Here, it follows the coastline of the Upper Harbor until it branches to the right again and crosses the Selkirk Tressle Bridge, dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians. Some of the wooden trestles are uneven, so it makes for a slightly bumpy, but satisfyingly thrummy sounding ride. The route is outlined in pink on the map below.

The Galloping Goose trail is about 34 miles long (55 km) and takes you from Victoria to the ghost town of Leechtown via the town of Sooke. The first third or so of the ride is quite urban and at times parallels Highway 1, the Trans Canada Highway. Right around a place called Mill Lake, the path changes from paved to gravel and remains that way to its terminus. On this helpful map, the Galloping Goose is marked in red and the Lochside Regional Trail (discussed later) is in blue.

Once you reach an area called Happy Valley, the trail becomes much more forested and you can pedal through serene wilderness. Because we only had part of a morning to ride, we turned around soon after the trail merged with Highway 1 in an area called Saanich. This was a great place to turn around because it’s very near the junction of the Galloping Goose and the Lochside Regional Trail. When we came to that junction, we passed through a tunnel taking us north onto the Lochside Trail toward Swartz Bay where our ferry had landed.

Even though this trail it’s still in town, it feels very secluded as it follows a greenway. This is the type of trail where it crosses many small side roads where cyclists have the right of way and are not expected to stop. It reminded me of when I used to ride the Pinellas Trail in Clearwater, Florida. Just as then, I had my head on a swivel. The locals did not, however, and would just blow down the trail without worry.

The Lochside Trail is lined with greenery, including blackberry bushes that were just beginning to ripen. They are everywhere! I’d been watching these since we’d arrived in Canada, hopeful they would ripen during our stay. And they did! We stopped to sample a few along the Lochside Trail.

The Lochside Trail is 18 miles long (29 km) and stretches from Victoria all the way north to Swartz Bay. There are just a handful of small gravel stretches and the rest is fully paved. Those stretches are noted on this map with white patches outlined in blue. Once again, we didn’t ride the entire trail. We had to get back to the hotel to check out so we could spend the rest of the day touring Butchart Gardens. A must-see when on Vancouver Island!

We had a little bit of time to kill after touring Butchart Gardens (our feet were tired!) so we headed up to Swartz Bay to look for a place for dinner before our 7 pm ferry back to Vancouver. We found amazing seafood chowder at the Stonehouse Pub not far from the ferry terminal. It was a perfect spot for this little chunk of time. Because we had Penny along, we ate on one of their shaded outdoor patios.

It was also fun to walk the property and see the silly and irreverent fairy gardens that were scattered throughout. This place really captured my heart and imagination. I would have love to have gone on a fairy hunt here as a child.

We had arrived at the pub at the same time as a group of older women on bicycles. I was so curious about their adventure and managed to ask them a couple questions after we ate. The said their husbands ride motorcycles on Monday nights so they decided to ride bikes together. The took the ferry over. Ultimately, it sounded like more pub hopping than actual riding, but it also sounded like a very fun group. Canadians really seem to know how to have fun! I would like to join their group.

The ferry ride back to the mainland was just as stunning as the ride out and was actually one of the highlights of the entire getaway.

As promised earlier, here is our hotel room and what it looks like to travel with bikes. Sometimes you have to carry them up the stairs to your tiny hotel room. We never leave them on the car overnight. You can check with hotels ahead of time to see if they have a storage room. If not, they become your non-paying extra roommates (along with the dog!).

As a denizen of the paved trail, I gravitate toward quiet and predictable passages that are safe from cars, buses, trucks, and crowds. I was, admittedly, a little nervous about riding through Vancouver’s central business district. I know how hard it is to drive in many big cities, so cycling seemed equally, if not more, daunting.

Greg was less daunted by this notion and very encouraging about attempting it so we planned our first foray into the city. We followed a portion of the Seaside Greenway trail, which is car-free, so a perfect introduction! We hopped onto this trail in Vanier Park in Kitsilano and headed southeast. First you ride under the Burrard Street Bridge and soon after that, you ride under the bridge at Granville Island (Hwy 99). This is a very scenic and fun trail that curves in and out of harbor views mixed with residential and urban scenery.

Once your arrive at Granville Island, you have to cross a busy 4-lane street under the bridge, but cars are very good about stopping for pedestrians and cyclists at the crosswalk. Once past the bridge, we continued on the trail taking us toward False Creek, so named because the inlet is actually a dead end. On Google Maps this trail is labeled the Island Park Walk, but the trail is lined and separated with pedestrians on one side and approved wheeled vehicles (bikes, scooters, skateboards, wheelchairs, inline skates, one-wheels, unicycles, you get the idea) on the other side.

From here we followed this scenic trail alongside False Creek to its terminus where the very recognizable spherical Science World building sits.

The trail loops around to the other side of the inlet, passing British Columbia’s largest stadium called BC Place, where the FIFA World Cup will be held next year!!

It just so happened that as we were approaching this area a bike race was taking place! We managed to catch several cyclists as they crossed the finish line. So much of life is about fortuitous timing and it feels like we’re having impeccable (and mostly lucky) timing on this trip.

We wound our way around the trail until we neared the Burrard Street Bridge, our path home to complete this loop. To get to the bridge you have to leave the trail and head over to Pacific Street, following signs to the bridge. This required a few blocks in the city, but all the bike lanes were clearly marked. This also gave us a chance to see this marvelous chandelier under the Granville Street Bridge. Unfortunately, fortuitous timing wasn’t on our side at this moment and we didn’t see it spin, which apparently happens three times a day.

This ride offered us our first chance to ride our bikes over the Burrard Street Bridge, which is just blocks from where we’re staying. It has dedicated walking and bicycling lanes and is very safe from car traffic. It also has an amazing view from the top!

Since this successful outing, we’ve taken several others that actually took us through the heart of the city and not on the greenway. We easily navigated the bike lanes and felt safe doing so. I will say that before EVERY trip I research it ahead of time on Google Maps, sometimes going as far as previewing each road to be assured it has a bike lane. Of course, there are always a few blips along the way (closures, detours, etc.) but we’ve always found safe passages. Our first trip through downtown was to the neighborhood of Yaletown to try the brewery there. We also stumbled upon an amazing artisan ice cream spot called Mister where they make the ice cream in front of you using liquid nitrogen.

Now that we were comfortable riding on the city streets, our next cross-town adventure took us all the way across to the opposite side of the peninsula to Canada Place, which is basically the Grand Central Station of Vancouver. There, we purchased tickets for the SeaBus, a 10-minute ferry ride to North Vancouver across Vancouver Harbor. We took Penny and the bikes on the ferry to The Shipyards where we attended the Friday Night Market and had a nice dinner on the waterfront.

Bikes have to stay in the front of the ferry (Door 1) and Penny was required to stay in her basket, but there was no surcharge for bikes or pets. Pro tip: take bikes through the turnstiles marked with the handicap sign so they fit easily. While on this side of Vancouver Harbor, we took a few minutes to check out the North Shore Spirit Trail. We just got a small sampling of this paved trail by heading west out of the ferry terminal. It was really scenic and it would be great to go back and experience it in full.

The views of downtown Vancouver from the North Shore are very impressive.

After a delicious dinner on the patio at Strathcona North in The Shipyards we took the ferry back in plenty of time to return home before dark. Riding in the duskiness was quite fun though.

Our final adventure thus far through downtown Vancouver was a ride over to the neighborhood of Gastown, known for its hybrid steam-powered/electric clock with its iconic whistle. We enjoyed absolutely DELICIOUS eggs Benedict on Water Street right in front of the clock. This is actually very close to where we’d ridden before to take the SeaBus. Although there are very well marked bike lanes throughout the city, it’s busy and you have to watch for other cyclists, scooters, and pedestrians. Many cyclists are DoorDashers and go really fast on their e-bikes.

With all these successful journeys under our belts, I’m no longer intimidated to ride through the city, but still take extra care with intersections and using visible turn signals. I want to be very predictable! It’s been such a pleasure riding in a city that understands pedestrian and cyclist traffic and respects it. It’s also been nice to not be burdened by taking a car everywhere, but you do sometimes have to get creative and of course allow for extra time. One evening Greg rode up to a nearby liquor store and used Penny’s basket to haul the goods home.

Here’s a Google Map outlining all of the rides mentioned above. The red pin at the top is Canada Place, a very active seaport for all modes of travel, including cruise ships and cargo ships. The heart near the bottom is our house/starting-ending point for each ride.

Most of Stanley Park is heavily forested, but there is plenty to see and do when visiting. The Vancouver Aquarium is nestled into the woods on the east side of the park. Not far from there, a miniature railway takes visitors on a 15-minute scenic train ride - unfortunately this feature is currently closed for infrastructure updates. You can also hear the familiar “clomp clomp” of horse drawn carriages throughout the park offering guided tours. There are two large beaches on the park’s western shore, named Second Beach and Third Beach. Second Beach features a large fresh water swimming pool where you can buy tickets for a 2.5 hour session for about $6.50 USD. Both beaches offer concessions (amazing fresh lemonade at Second Beach - ask for a splash of seltzer water!) and both have restrooms. Or, if your more inclined to enjoy a sudsy refreshment, there is a brew pub located just southeast of Second Beach. For the more refined, there is also a teahouse between the two beaches with expansive views of English Bay offering lunch and a “wine hour” three days a week. We did not try either of these establishments…yet.

Perhaps the most iconic and beloved feature of this beautiful park is the seawall, a paved trail for pedestrians and bicycles that encircles the entire park and offers spectacular views of the area. The trail is a 6 mile loop (10 km) that travels in a counter-clockwise direction for cyclists. Pedestrians may travel in either direction on their separate path. We parked our car near the park’s southwest entrance and hopped on the trail there. Like everywhere around here, you must pay to park. We brought our own bikes, but you can rent the Mobi city bikes in many places throughout the park. They offer regular bikes and a few e-bikes - if you can find them - for a slightly higher price.

You’ll see many different sights as you make your way around the seawall loop: ponds, tunnels, downtown cityscapes, a huge suspension bridge, sandy beaches, open water, a natural rock outcropping called Siwash Rock (which hosts a single tree), a collection of totem poles, distant mountains, playgrounds - one with a splash pad for kids, and much more.

You can ride as fast or slow as you like, stopping wherever you please. Be aware that there are several short dismount areas where you’re asked to walk your bike in high pedestrian traffic areas. The north and northwest segments are probably the most scenic of the loop with the Lions Gate Bridge, Siwash Rock, and the endless views out to the open water. As you approach and pass Siwash Rock the path curves along a rock wall on one side and the open sea on the other. It’s absolutely stunning!

After we completed the loop and looked at a map, we realized we hadn’t seen the totem poles so we headed around again. Only problem? It’s a one-way path! We had to get creative on how to get back to the car without doing the entire loop again. Pro tip: you are allowed to WALK your bike on the walking path.

While you’re at Stanley Park, I highly recommend the Vancouver Aquarium. It offers beautiful displays of fish, sea turtles, an otter exhibit, an entertaining seal show, clownfish ice cream cones, and a “4-D” movie called Salmon Run that was quite the highlight! The fourth dimension is not to be forgotten anytime soon!!

We didn’t have a chance to explore the park’s interior forested bike trails. Well, we did a little bit accidentally while getting our bearings. These paths are nicely manicured gravel with some slight elevation changes. If we go back and ride these trails, I will add a post about them. Here’s a picture of the small portion we rode on trying to find our way back to the seawall trail. Very beautiful and it would definitely be worth a trip back to see more of these trails.

Overall, Stanley Park was a total blast to visit and ride and a major highlight of our time here so far. I’ve already ridden it twice and have plans to go there at least once more before we go home.

The ride deets: (it’s more than 10km because we backtracked to see the totem poles.)

Exploring a new area by bike is the perfect way to get a feel for the landscape, terrain, people/culture, and nearby offerings. The first bike ride I took was a morning outing with Penny soon after we arrived in town. We headed east on the seaside trail that follows the shoreline away from the town beach. The path quickly turned from gravel to pavement as it wound its way scenically through a large park, past some museums and marinas toward the Granville Bridge. If you’re not familiar with the area, Kitsilano is separated from the peninsula of downtown Vancouver by several bridges, one of them rising stately above an area called Granville Island, which is actually another peninsula, but this one man-made.

Granville Island is now a popular artist and retail enclave, but has a rich industrial manufacturing history. In fact, there’s still a working concrete plant there that stands out in stark contrast to the steady stream of shoppers and tourists walking the streets. It’s definitely worth visiting Granville Island and checking out the shops, especially the Public Market. My advice is to park and secure your bike and then explore by foot1. Where the seaside bike trail meets the Granville Bridge I turned around and headed back toward Kitsilano. The trail does continue past the bridge and that amazing adventure will be chronicled in a future writing.

As Penny and I headed back toward Kitsilano on this overcast day, I appreciated the maritime sights of this area that aren’t available back in Colorado. Bridges, ships, docks, boats — all the trappings of the nautical world. These, combined with the coastlines, waterways, skyscrapers, and mountains makes the scenery here so unique and hard to rival.

Once back in Kits Beach, I decided to continue riding west to see what was beyond the confines of our little neighborhood. Just a bit past the beach park, there’s a stretch of the bikeway that takes you through some quiet neighborhood roads and then onto a heavier trafficked road called Point Gray which has its own dedicated two-way lane for bicyclists. Here you can see the water just to the north and homes to the south. Every few minutes you pass through another park or public beach. Penny and I went through several of these, finally stopping and turning back at Spanish Banks Beach, almost the westernmost terminus before the shoreline suddenly banks south. Now I wish we’d traveled just slightly farther to see the University of British Columbia, which is nestled there on that western edge.

This entire ride was probably about 10 miles (or around 16 km, as they say here.) My route follows the blue dots on this Google Maps screenshot, with the heart being our home base. It was a perfect introduction to the area and the numerous bike and walking trails to be found here.

UPDATE ON JULY 24: I’ve never done this before, but I’m making an addendum to this entry. I rode further west on the seaside trail today to the University of British Columbia. I set the campus rose garden in Google Maps as my destination. It was 10 km (approx. 6 miles) each direction from the house. The seaside views were amazing in both directions and the university is very picturesque (see below). I should mention that there’s a fairly long but gradual uphill stretch that leads up to UBC’s campus. But there is a dedicated trail next to the road. As it turns out, the road wasn’t heavily traveled today, perhaps because it’s summer and the university is fairly quiet.

Also of note, most of the seaside bike paths are gravel (with a few quiet streets mixed in as mentioned above), but there are also some areas where you can choose a paved bike lane on the road instead. I always chose the seaside trail to stay away from cars and to get the best scenery.

The drive was long and tedious, as expected, but we took a lot of potty breaks and tried to enjoy the scenery. Our stop-over points were Salt Lake City, Utah (in hindsight, Ogden would have been a better choice), Ontario, Oregon (just northwest of Boise, Idaho and strangely still in the mountain time zone!1), and Corvallis, Oregon (where we visited Kid 2 for about 16 hours). Fortunately, the drive was relatively mundane. Driving through Seattle felt like it would never end, but we persevered. In Bellingham, Washington we got a full tank of gas at Costco just before reaching the Canadian border (h/t to our smart friend Margaret for that advice).

The border crossing itself was truly mundane. There was one car in front of us and when it was our turn we rolled up the guy in the booth who took our passports. He asked us where were were from, where we were staying and for how long and why. We didn’t fill out any paperwork or declare anything, including the dog. And we were prepared with her rabies certificate and vet papers. Apparently, we looked boring enough to just wave through! I thought they might at least try to confiscate her treats.

Once across the border, the Tesla parade began. I thought we saw a lot on a daily basis in Boulder County, but here they are practically every other car! We made it to our home-away-from-home for the month just after 8 pm. Not to worry, sunset isn’t until 10:15 pm here! Our first action in our temporary hometown was to download one of the maaannnny parking apps available and pay for a spot right in front of the house (more on this topic later). Once in, we could finally see the “beach casa” that I had procured online so many months earlier. Fortunately, it’s just as adorable as it looked in pictures and just perfect for our stay! It’s a 2-bedroom, 2-bath ground floor unit in a larger building. We have front and back patios, washer and dryer, full kitchen, great wi-fi, and it’s super cute to boot. It’s about three blocks from Kitsilano Beach and just a few steps from Cornwall Avenue, a surprisingly heavily-trafficked east-west thoroughfare. There are many little restaurants right along Cornwall Ave that are easy to walk to (fish and chips, bagels, coffee, shawarma, sushi, tacos, burgers, etc.).

Kitsilano is fairly quiet on weekdays, but is practically overrun on the weekends. It’s been interesting getting used to such an urban lifestyle. Car horns, sirens, people’s voices, music wafting in the air at any time of day or night. It’s a noisy world! But with the doors and windows closed, sleeping is never a problem. There’s an adorable coffee shop right across the street (which keeps traffic on our little lane flowing allllll day) and a karaoke bar (oh joy!) next door. The street we’re on is exceptionally lovely with majestic maple trees lining both sides. It’s absolutely enchanting. It’s also very fitting to be surrounded my maple leaves - “the image of a nation” on this, the symbol’s 60th year on Canada’s flag. What’s not so great is that cars park along both sides, leaving just a narrow passage for a TWO-WAY street! C’mon city planners, make it one-way!! One observation since we arrived is that most streets are fairly narrow and our car seems oversized for many of the roadways and parking spaces here.

Some photos of the house (for you, Tracy):

Having a place that meets all of our needs — whether it’s Greg’s work environment, Penny’s comfort, room for guests, etc. — is huge and not only did we get all of that, but the location is just spectacular. And the outdoor patios are the icing on the cake. I rank outdoor space up there with the most important aspects of a home.

Already, we all feel comfortable in this new neighborhood. Penny’s out there reading the pee-mail every morning and adding her own aromatic contributions for the neighbor dogs to discover. I marvel at all the different architecture not just from block to block, but from lot to lot, musing “how much does this one cost?” or “what would it be like to live in this one?” There’s a little fairy garden across the street and that really spoke to me. (I recently built one in our back yard and I’m now slightly obsessed with this concept.) It’s all a huge departure from the suburban lifestyle we lead back home and that’s exactly what we were looking for.

Oh, here’s what the local beach looks like. There are always people out walking, bike riding, sunning, playing volleyball/tennis/basketball/water sports. It’s a very vibrant community.

There is endless opportunity here for exploration, whether on foot or bike. We really don’t need the car much at all, which is why we rented a permanent space for it at a nearby parking lot. It’s handy for little getaways, but most days we walk or ride everywhere. The bike riding around here is stunningly phenomenal, which I’m getting to next! Stay tuned!!

The only thing better than summer vacation is summer vacation in the mountains. I’ve been lucky enough to have taken two short trips this summer with my BFF, Jenn, who is also a teacher. (Those in K-12 education need similar friends for maximal enjoyment of time off!) Our first trip was supposed to be our annual girl’s campout at Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins. But because I had hurt my hip paddle boarding (it was really windy, okay?) and she, too, was feeling some hip pain, we decided to take our aging hips to a hotel in the same town instead.

The hotel turned out to be a great choice because we ended up spending much of our time dining and shopping downtown, resulting in a different kind of getaway than we’re used to. When we’re camping, we are doing all the camping things when we’re not on the water paddle boarding. On this trip, we still got to paddle board one day, but we also lived the good life of air conditioning and sit-down dining. We didn’t build any campfires, but instead experienced elevated cocktails and concept tacos during happy hour at the Blue Agave Grill. A huge upside of this trip was that I rediscovered how amazing Fort Collins is. Their downtown is as vibrant as any I’ve ever seen. During our shopping excursions I was able to purchase items to make my first backyard fairy garden and now I might be obsessed.

This is not to say that we didn’t miss our yearly camping trip and all that it entails. The one day we spent on the water took us right up to the vacant site we had reserved and we both felt a twinge of longing for the RV and the outdoor lifestyle. Next year!

Back at the hotel, our aching hips swaddled in heating pads, we were texted an invitation from another teacher friend to join her at her mountain condo in two weeks. Who can say no to that?? I quickly texted Greg and asked him to check my calendar and see if another trip so soon was feasible. It was, hooray! (By the way, I do feel guilty that Greg’s home working while I’m off gallivanting, but we are about to take a 5-week trip together!)

So this past Wednesday we loaded up the paddle boards again - and my bike - and headed to Frisco, my favorite mountain town. Gratefully, my hip injury had resolved, so I left the heating pad at home this time! It’s been a little while since I’ve taken I-70 west into the mountains and seeing those familiar vistas felt like a curative. Like a long exhale after you don’t realize you’d been holding your breath.

The next morning it was decided that instead of paddle boarding, Jamie and I should scratch our bike riding itch. I’m rarely around another person who enjoys bike riding as much as I do. We set off from Frisco on a paved trail that goes to Breckenridge called the Blue River Bikeway. It’s about 8 miles each way (primarily uphill to Breck and downhill back to Frisco). The elevation change is roughly 850 feet. Unfortunately, my new phone mount failed, so I only took a few pictures. But suffice it to say that it was a dream come true to be riding this trail in such gorgeous surroundings.

About halfway to Breckenridge, we were able to stop at a trailhead kiosk just before a brief downpour. Several other cyclists and hikers squeezed in next to us for the 10 minutes or so until the clouds passed. From there, it was smooth sailing into the town of Breckenridge where we enjoyed a hearty and delicious lunch at the Blue River Bistro. There was another downpour that lasted the whole time we were at the restaurant. Our timing was impeccable! Neither of us had remembered to bring rain gear.

Heading back to Frisco was a literal breeze. There is just one uphill stretch near the end of the ride. Otherwise, it’s all gradually downhill and allows for a lot of coasting. In terms of mountain riding, this was very mild and doable. The ascent was so gradual it was almost unnoticeable visually. My legs could detect it though. Coming back I was surprised at how much uphill we had achieved on the way out. There were never any steep climbs though. Still, Jamie doesn’t have an e-bike and was a rockstar with all the gradual climbing.

Here’s another picture that illustrates how pretty the scenery is out there:

After the ride, we soothed our tired muscles in the hot tub back at Jamie’s condo. It ended up raining most of the evening, so we all waited until the next day to go paddle boarding on the part of Dillon Reservoir known as Frisco Bay. It was perfection.

We didn’t get a picture of all three J’s together (Janine, Jenn, and Jamie), but there they are out enjoying the water.

The ride info I captured (below) is not great because my watch isn’t working. This is off of the Trek Central app from the bike and I wish it showed the main roads on the map. (It’s also in km because I got a new phone recently and forgot to adjust that setting.) Much of this ride does parallel the highway, but there are enough serene spots away from cars that it’s overall a very pleasant and tranquil feeling ride. In terms of safety, it’s a 10/10. The trail is well-maintained and was not heavily used on a Thursday.

So where does one begin? Tackle a long-neglected project? Read more books? Refocus on health and fitness? Start journaling again? Binge watch a bunch of TV shows, movies, and podcasts? Tap into your artistic side? Spend more time with friends and family? Meal plan and cook more? Organize and clean the house? Finally add meditation into my day? Or perhaps a little bit of all of the above?

With all the possibilities in play, it feels like a colossal task in itself trying to figure out how to prioritize all the tasks. It’s not a slacking off during summer, but actually doing more - with intentionality. Not falling into the established routine and humdrum inertia of the work week, but filling these moments with my own curated docket that expresses my personal wants, needs, and desires. Some fun, some necessary, some spontaneous. The cheery Adirondack chairs (pictured above) are now a concrete and tangible example of a summertime success. It was the perfect kick-off project.

To keep my commitment to spontaneity and growth, I’ve made a commitment to saying “yes” to offers and invitations. This past year I was working a second job in the afternoons and it really pulled me out of my active state. It wasn’t just the obligation of having to do the job, it was also a sedentary task that kept me tethered to a desk and computer. I wisely quit that job in April and I’m now trying to get back to a more active lifestyle. I’ve recently said yes to pickleball, working out at the local rec center, paddle boarding, and any activities that involve moving - or that my first instinct is to say no to.

But it hasn’t come without a price. Since my 55th birthday in April, I’ve experienced one prolonged pain for each physical activity I’ve engaged in. Pickleball = knee pain; bike riding = lower back pain; paddle boarding = hip injury (don’t ask!). I’m hearing it comes with the territory of aging. Instead of letting these aches and pains convince me to sit down and stop trying, it’s been a wake up call to get more active. Each of these issues has healed with time, Advil, ice, and a heating pad. And despite the discomfort, each activity is strengthening my body and waking up those parts that need to be stretched and worked. I literally (no exaggeration) LIMPED into the rec center the other day to sign up for an annual pass with my newly acquired senior discount. I was in no condition to work out that day, but I took the first step by enrolling. Though it may be tempting, now is not the time to slack off.

As for summer goals on the bike, well there are a few! So far this spring I’ve done just small rides. We rode to a local beer festival, we’ve ridden to a couple nearby downtowns, and on some local trails. Nothing of great consequence, but fun nonetheless. We recently added a tow hitch to our Highlander and purchased a nice bike rack, making it easy to expand our bikeable territory. I have two larger rides I’d like to tackle: the High Line Canal (71 miles of nearly entirely connected trail in South/East Denver) and the Poudre River Trail in the Fort Collins area. The timeline on these is guesswork, however, since we will be spending a month in British Columbia, Canada this summer. I’m so excited! We’re bringing the bikes and will be riding all over our temporary seaside neighborhood of Kitsilano. Watch this space for those adventures beginning in July. Freewheeling is going international!

We were fortunate enough to spend 9 days in Oregon and Washington a couple weeks ago during mid-October. We saw some fall colors, enjoyed cooler temperatures, got to visit our college student at OSU, and went on a couple of amazing trail rides along the coast. Best of all, it was the shoulder season so there were no touristy crowds anywhere we went.

The first bike ride we did was in Long Beach, Washington. We arrived there on a Tuesday after driving up from Corvallis, Oregon. Along the way we stopped at several beach towns as well as the Tillamook Creamery, where we got to see massive amounts of cheese being made and packaged. We also and ate lunch there and bought some cheese for the road, of course. It’s a nice facility and worth the stop.

Another highlight of this travel day was stopping in Cannon Beach, Oregon and seeing Haystack Rock, which is a sea stack (a vertical column of volcanic rock caused by erosion from waves.1) It was really interesting to see this feature up close. It’s an unusually large sea stack and it’s very close to shore so it’s a pretty big attraction. The tide pools near it were fascinating, with rocks crusted with interesting sea creatures, including starfish (see below). It was just such a stunning environment and not like anything we see in Colorado!

On the drive north to Long Beach, Washington we took Hwy 101. We had purchased the 5-day Oregon Pacific Coast Passport for $10, so we also stopped at Bob Straub State Park near Pacific City, Nehalem Bay State Park, and Ecola State Park, hiking a bit and taking in the beach scenery at each. Before we crossed the state line into Washington, we also stopped at the town of Seaside, Oregon where we had some pretty average clam chowder at a touristy chain called Mo’s. We rolled into Long Beach, Washington mid-afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we sought out fresh seafood and had a really nice dinner at Drop Anchor Seafood and Grill. They restored our faith in clam chowder. We also enjoyed a bucket of local steamer clams, some fried oysters, and Dungeness crab.

We hadn’t rented bikes ahead of time, so the next morning we walked over to a rental shop near the hotel only to find out that they were closed until the weekend. A slight panic overcame me since our plan for the day was to explore the Discovery Trail. Maybe shoulder season was giving us the COLD shoulder. Fortunately, the next place we tried, Tsunami Cycle, had just what we needed! We rented two non-electric 9-speed bikes. Even though they had rubber belts instead of normal chains, they rode very comfortably and smoothly. This place included water bottle holders and helmets at no extra change. Sweet! They were really friendly, helpful, and. just a top-notch shop.

The Discovery Trail is about 8 miles long and runs north-south along the shoreline. It’s fully paved and tells some of the story of Lewis and Clark’s journey, detailing their time in this area. We began our ride just outside of our hotel in Long Beach where there’s a long boardwalk that takes you through the sand dunes. We first headed south toward the North Head Lighthouse. The trail was twisty and fun and very smooth, winding its way through the dunes with little peeks of the beautiful coastline here and there.

The trail was nearly empty of other cyclists (or pedestrians) and and after a few miles it eventually enters a forested area as you approach Cape Disappointment State Park. It becomes surprisingly hilly as you near the lighthouse. At one point, it has a 9% grade, but it doesn’t last long. In this densely forested environment, you could even forget that you’re near the beach.

Eventually you cross a two-lane road and make your way toward the North Head Lighthouse where you’re asked to walk your bike for the last stretch. This area is called Beard’s Hollow and the views here are stunning and dramatic. There is another lighthouse a few miles south of here called Cape Disappointment and we would have loved to have seen it, but the trail to get there is for hiking only.

Since this is the southern terminus of the Discovery Trail, we turned around and headed back toward Long Beach. Part way back there is an option to cycle a little ways east to the town of Ilwaco. We chose not to do that and instead headed to lunch in Long Beach. After lunch we continued north on the path. The last stretch of the northern section is through several miles of dunes with little shade and some beach views. The southern end of the trail was definitely the most fun in terms of variety and scenery, but we did both ends because we wanted to see it all. By the time we returned our bikes, we had cycled 18 miles and seen the entire trail from end to end.

Back at the hotel we celebrated our successful journey with a platter of Tillamook cheese!

Stay tuned for Part 2 where we take Northern Washington by storm, embark on another (much wetter) trail riding adventure, and have a run-in with some mysterious, slimy windshield goo.

The ride maps: the first stretch was the south end before lunch. The second map is of the north end.

It’s been a long time since I wrote. Oops! Rewind. Sorry, wrong medium.

But it’s true; I haven’t written a Freewheeling blog in a hot minute. I have plenty of excuses! The weather got beastly hot. I started a new part-time job over the summer. Both kids were home from college. We redid a bathroom. I got lazy.

But now I’m back!! The weather is cooling down, I’m settling into my two part-time jobs, one kid is back at school (with the other soon to follow), the bathroom is lovely, and I got off my duff and back on the bike!

It’s true that I didn’t achieve all the goals I set for summer riding. And that’s disappointing. But it’s also okay because there’s still all of fall, which is much more temperate weather-wise. I have realized, however, that I need to plan ahead, put those plans on the calendar, and then adhere to them. One thing I’m currently looking forward to is a trip to the Pacific Northwest in October and I’m hopeful we can do some riding there - perhaps on the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Back here at home, one fun little thing we did recently is ride to a local restaurant not far from home. We popped Penny in the bike basket on Friday afternoon and went over to John’s Table in the Colorado Tech Center. It was surprisingly busy! So busy that they had us wait an hour before ordering food. That was fine because we were waiting for Kid2 to join us from the climbing gym next door and also because we had brought one of our favorite travel games: Kingdomino. If you’ve never played Kingdomino, it’s very fun and not hard to manage at a brewpub or restaurant table. It’s not loud (like dice games), it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate (like Bananagrams), and it doesn’t have complicated rules or require TOO much brain power.

After one round of Kingdomino and a tasty chicken salad, we loaded Penny back up into her basket. By now, dusk had fallen and we got to ride home in near-dark using our headlights and taillights. I also got to finally try out the add-on light I purchased for my Thousand helmet. We discovered that sucker is BRIGHT!!! Very much worth the $25. It has a solid mode and a flashing mode and it’s also magnetic, so you can pop it on or off at will. It has USB charging and can last up to 12 hours. Very handy!

Riding home in the near-dark was exhilarating and so much fun. I felt like a kid again. I miss the summer nights of my youth when I would stay outside playing until the very last possible minute. When the sticky heat of the day finally gave way to the dusky coolness. Crickets, locusts, and frogs converging in an evening chorus of chirps and murmurs. Street lights flickering on. Me - drained from a long, hot day of doing everything and nothing all at once - wearily pedaling up to my driveway knowing I had given that day my all.

These are the memories that came to mind as I pedaled with abandon down the gravel path leading to our neighborhood. It was fun navigating just by a dim headlight. There was a slight intoxicating fear that an animal might dart out in front of my tire or I’d hit a pothole. But flying over my handlebars would have been worth it for this joy ride down memory lane. I remembered to take a picture, but it’s pretty blurry. I’ll have to work on my night photography.

In addition to adding more bike riding back into my weekly schedule, I also want to get back to attending more live music. A couple weekends ago, Greg and I did our first volunteer gig at a multi-day festival. We’re considering adding this to our lifestyle as we near/enter retirement. It’s a nice way to be part of a helpful community while also getting free admission!

In our first foray, we did three four-hour shifts (one per day) in the merchandise tent at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado. Greg was the “greeter” at the entrance to the store (a perfect job for him!) and I was a “seller” helping people find merchandise - which mainly translated into helping them decide which t-shirt to buy. It was not a bad gig at all and we feel like it’s worth doing more of this type of barter exchange work. The music was excellent and we had plenty of time to enjoy it before and after our shifts.

We’ve been attending Rocky Grass and the Folks Festival at this location for decades now - since the kids were tiny - so it’s always a homecoming of sorts. Planet Bluegrass is situated along the St. Vrain River, a refreshing place to cool off and watch the tubers and kids play, and there’s just enough non-music stuff to do on site. We always see at least a handful of people we know, which is fun. And Greg gets his light-up juggling balls out to entertain anyone in our immediate radius once it gets dark out.

I’m going to leave you with an apt tune from one of the many great artists from Folks Fest. I wasn’t familiar with Pokey LaFarge, but this group was fun and engaging in a very timeless way. Their tune “Run Run Run” is below. (I would just maybe personalize it by singing “Ride Ride Ride”.) Keep moving forward no matter the obstacles, readers! Get out there and cross those finish lines! And if you mess up, just try again next week.

OR…

Buy Me A Coffee

We can share a cup virtually! :)

I’m following the first rule of public speaking here and starting with a joke. Not just to get your attention, but also to say that sometimes things don’t go as planned and we need to find a way to make lemonade. But we still retain the right to be a lit bit annoyed. Everyone knows that any time travel is involved we have to expect problems and adjust expectations - delayed flights, lost luggage, wrong turns, flat tires, you-name-it.

Since it’s summer and we’re doing our best impressions of weekend warriors, we’re trying to cram in a lot of camping and bike riding. This past weekend we had plans to take the trailer down to the Leadville area where I was very excited to ride the Mineral Belt Trail and do something I’ve been eyeing for years: shoot Vail Pass along I-70! (On the adjacent bike trail, of course.) The e-bikes were a pivotal part of this plan, allowing us a humane way to get back up to the top of this 12-mile downhill straightaway. Note: the route can be longer or shorter depending on where you start.

However… plans change. A wildfire broke out very close to the campground where we had reservations and another family we were camping with smartly decided on a change of venue. Instead of heading southwest toward Leadville, we went northwest to Hermit Open Space near Estes Park. Originally I felt a bit pouty and thought we might as well leave the bikes behind, but after looking up trails in the area we brought them along after all. Not only can you ride on the gravel roads from campground to campground in the open space, but there is quite a bit of singletrack nearby.

Since our e-bikes are still new, we hadn’t yet done any singeltrack. And we are pretty out of practice, honestly. I inquired about bike trails at the park’s ranger station and the nice woman gave me a map and described the trail in soothing terms. So we saddled up, put Penny in the basket, and went on an adventure. The trail is called Limber Pine and it snakes into the woods adjacent to the campground. It also continues down into national forest land if you want a longer ride. The Limber Pine Trail is a shared hiking, horseback riding, and biking trail that is not paved or gravel, just “au natural”. We started up the trail (and it was quite aggressively UP) and we began picking our way through bedrocks, boulders, and tree roots and just generally feeling out of our element. Not to mention, Penny was getting all kinds of rattled in her little basket. Greg stopped and I went further ahead to see if the trail would even out once we got past the first connecting spur. Not really.

Time for Plan B of Plan B. We exited the trail and took a dirt road down to the opposite end of the trail and restarted from that direction at an area called Homestead Meadows Trailhead (Moose Meadow Trail). Much better, but still technical and challenging. We went about a mile in before calling it quits again. We both agreed that we would have gone further without Penny, but it was time to turn back. The first rule of Freewheeling is “Keep Penny safe.”

By the time we’d returned to the camper, we’d ridden almost 5 miles, so not a bad outing all in all and the scenery was gorgeous. We also did a very scenic hike up Kruger Rock later in the day and had Bougie S’mores with friends.1

So even though the weekend wasn’t the trip I had planned and hoped for originally, we still managed to have an enjoyable adventure nonetheless. The Leadville/Vail Pass trip will still happen eventually.

Back here at home, we’ve been enjoying more local rides and some unseasonably cooler weather. Those rides included touring a nearby horse ranch, visiting a brewpub, a farmer’s market (and seeing a huge unidentified snake on the path), and exploring more trails and connecting trails and retracing familiar paths.

On one of these recent rides, one spot in particular that caught my eye was this picnic table just sitting by itself next to a creek with dappled shade all around. It’s just begging to be visited with a packed lunch. Look at that serenity!

There’s a real joy in exploring your own environs and appreciating what is close at hand. This little spot is proof that we needn’t be off in distant lands to find the beauty in our surroundings. In the immortal words of American author Annie Dillard, “Some unwonted, taught pride diverts us from our original intent, which is to explore the neighborhood, view the landscape, to discover at least where it is that we have been so startlingly set down, if we can’t learn why.”

There is plenty of landscape to be viewed right here outside our very own doors. On my way home from that perfect picnic table I stumbled upon this little pond filled with blooming lily pads - literally a quarter of a mile from my own front door and I’d never noticed it before. It’s part of a sprawling medical complex. A true oasis in a concrete jungle. Sweet!

Or…

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While traveling with a pet is not always possible (or wise), here’s what we’ve done to make sure that Penny is as safe and happy as possible while we’re on the road. I’d like to point out that we didn’t specifically purchase our travel trailer for her, but it definitely makes things easier. One of my friends (who is a fellow travel blogger) actually bought a Class A motorhome so he could travel with his cats. It’s a thing!

[TLDR: skip to the bottom for a list of pet must-haves while traveling. Also note that there are links to some Amazon products. If you purchase, I may get a small commission at no cost to you.]

Even before your first trip is mapped out, you need to have your pet properly identified in case they happen to get lost or separated from you. Redundancy is key. Penny has both an engraved ID tag on her collar and a surgically implanted microchip. We try not to ever let her be out of her collar when traveling, just as a matter of safety. Honestly, she is rarely out of her collar at home either. You never know if you’ll have a house fire or if the fence gate will blow open. I’ve also heard sad stories of pets running off in fright during car accidents. Better safe than sorry. 

Penny’s microchip came with her when we adopted her at the humane society, but that was 8 years ago. So to be sure, I recently asked our vet to check it at a routine visit. Sure enough, they were able to tell me that her unique ID was in their system. A study showed that microchipped dogs are twice as likely to be returned to their owners if lost. If your pet doesn’t yet have one, it’s a quick and easy injection they can do at the vet just like a vaccination. The chip itself is encased in a small glass cylinder the size of a grain of rice and injected just under the skin, usually between the shoulders. This outpatient procedure should cost no more than $50.

Another added measure of safety is your pet’s ID tag. These can be incredibly simple or use some new technology. Penny’s is simply an engraved tag that we got from a machine at PetSmart. It contains her name and my cell number. There are companies currently advertising RFID tracking collars for dogs, but we haven’t tried that yet. Think Apple AirTag or Tile for pets. There’s also one called Hey Buddy touting its product as ‘The World’s Smartest Pet Tag” that links your pet with a unique QR code, scannable by any smart phone. You can add pictures, medical information, emergency contacts, and more to your pet’s online profile. No subscription is needed, just the initial product purchase of about $15. I just talked myself into buying one and will report back later.

Now, you’ve planned your dream road trip and you’re ready to load up the car. But before you pop your pet in there, you need to insure that it’s a safe, secure, and comfortable environment. For many years, Penny rode up front - either perched on the console or on the lap of the front seat passenger. Neither of these was particular comfortable for anyone, least of all even a little bit safe. Dogs really should not be riding in the front seats of cars, especially if not restrained.

So the first things we purchased for Penny were a harness and a pet car seat. We got this one.

She’s a small dog (16 lbs.), so this set up works well. There are harnessed seat belts available for larger dogs and of course crates/kennels, which are considered safest.

Penny’s seat elevates her enough to see out the window while still being able to achieve the customary and euphoric head-out-the-window stance. Did she love it at first? Not really. She let us know with some whining. But our first car trips were local and no more than an hour long in order to get her used to it. After a few longer trips, she seems to have settled into the idea and rarely complains. In fact, she seems a lot more comfortable than she used to without the comfy seat. Sorry Penny, your wild and crazy days of console surfing are over!

The harness we bought her is nothing special, but it connects her to the car seat, which is seat-belted in at the base somewhat like a child’s booster seat. It also hooks over the headrest. The harness is necessary so that the safety strap is not just connected to the collar around her neck. We don’t want to have her choked or dangling from her collar in the event of an accident. Instead, the harness has a clasp and ring on top, mid-back.

It’s not a perfect situation and doesn’t seem even close to as safe as tethered infant/child seats, but it brings peace of mind that it’s much better than no restraint at all. It also keeps our laps doggy-free.

OK, now we’re cruising down the highway, finally underway! In the side pockets of Penny’s comfy seat are her leash, a collapsible water bowl, and some little snacks. Having these essential items in arm’s reach makes life a lot easier. At each rest stop we can easily get her in and out and watered without opening backpacks, hatchbacks, gloveboxes, trunks, suitcases, etc. Similar to traveling with kids, pets can make life more cluttered and complicated. These simple preparations make a big difference. 

Now that we’ve arrived at our destination (hooray!), it’s time to make our campsite pet safe. A good tie-out cord is something we always keep with us. We’ve seen a lot of campers use modular fencing to make a small yard for their pet(s) and themselves. We may try this at some point, but for now we keep Penny on a simple vinyl-coated pet cable when we’re sitting with her in the campsite. And yes, it absolutely gets caught on literally everything possible - the picnic table, the chairs, tips over the water bowl, ALL the things. Ugh. Can someone please invent a brilliant product to prevent this from happening??

When we’re in the trailer making meals or relaxing, Penny goes in also. With wildlife all around, it is not only unwise, but also against regulations, to leave pets unattended. The only exception to this would be to leave your pet in a locked, climate-controlled RV while you make a short excursion or day trip. We do plan to try this, but haven’t done it yet. I’ve seen advertisements for a device called Waggle to monitor the temperature of your RV and that seems like a great idea. Note: we will never, EVER in a bazillion years leave a pet in a hot car! Even 70 degrees is too hot (see below).

If you’re staying in a hotel or rental home, make sure pets are allowed to stay unattended. In these situations, it’s great if your pet is crate trained so they can be in a safe and familiar space while you’re out.

Other little things we always bring along include a blanket for Penny to relax on. She is adamantly opposed to the idea of dog beds. We also have a blinking LED collar we put on her in the evenings around the campsite and on night walks. This is the Nite-Ize NightHowl Mini Rechargeable LED Safety Necklace. It’s color-changing and USB rechargeable and really ups her cool factor. Other dogs, take note.

In your trailer, tent, hotel, AirBnb, what-have-you, make sure that you have your pet’s food and any medications they may need. Penny eats a combination of soft food and hard kibble. We need to keep her soft food refrigerated. If you don’t have a trailer with an electric hook-up, you’ll need to have a reliable cooler or hotel mini fridge for food and possibly medications. 

No matter where you travel (and especially when camping) it’s vital to have your pet’s vaccinations up to date. Annoying pests like mosquitoes, fleas and ticks can cause deadly illnesses in pets such as Heartworm, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme Disease. You also have to consider rabies in the event that your pet is approached by a rabid animal. And that’s not all! Your pets should be vaccinated against Leptospirosis, which is spread in the urine of animals such as rodents, deer, raccoons, and even livestock. It resides on grasses, soils, and in fresh water. It’s terrible to think about these things happening to your sweet pet, but simple vaccinations can put your mind at ease.

Speaking of water, Penny likes to join us when we paddleboard, so she has the cutest little doggy life vest. This one is made by Ruffwear. It has a handle on the back for scooping her up if she falls/jumps in. We HAVE had to use the handle a couple times. We’re not sure she’s a very good swimmer and most of the lakes around here are quite cold. Again, peace of mind.

When she’s not paddle-boarding, Penny still needs things to do to prevent boredom. Not surprisingly, her favorite thing to do is eat. Finding long-lasting chew treats has been challenging. We try to avoid rawhide, so it’s very hard to find anything that lasts more than 5 minutes. Recently, we got her the WOOF Pupsicle and it can keep her busy for about 20 minutes, depending on what you fill it with. Kong Classic toys are good also. We usually fill the Kong with peanut butter and small or broken-up crunchy treat bits.

And finally, this is not essential, but something pretty handy. It’s a paw washer! For those muddy, rainy times that you just can’t avoid. Just stick each paw in what looks like a coffee cup filled with cool water, swish it around, and it’s scrubbed by a soft brush on the way out. There are many different brands of these, but we have the Paw Plunger. It’s so handy before letting your pup back in the car or the camper. Bring a towel for drying each paw, BTW.

This all may seem like overkill and most of us certainly didn’t treat our childhood pets this way, (unfortunately). But we feel as though Penny at least deserves safety and comfort at these unfamiliar locations we’re taking her to. She does actually seem to enjoy the travels and all the new sniffs and is a fairly easy companion. If only she would sleep on a dog bed instead of ours…

ESSENTIALS LIST:

Harness

Leash

Tie Out Cable

Pet Car Seat , Harnessed Seatbelt, or Crate

ID tag on collar with your phone #

Microchip ID (placed by vet)

Light-up Collar for Evening and Night

Food/Water Bowls

Food/Water

Medicines, If Any

Vaccinations up to Date (i.e. rabies, heartworm, flea/tick prevention, leptospirosis, etc.)

Snacks (long chews, quick rewards, etc.)

Dog Toys

Extra Rag Towels

Optional: 

Paw Washer

Temperature Monitor

Collapsible Camp Chair

Dog Bed (ha!) or Blanket

Life jacket for water sports

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The “snafu” was that Trek decided to discontinue this particular bike and come out with a new model. By the time Greg’s order went in with mine, there weren’t any of the size and color he wanted left. He thought that by waiting a while he could get a “new” version (a.k.a. better) for the same price. So we kept an eye out on the Trek site for any sign of this new bike. I finally noticed it last week and did a spec comparison and it was almost identical. Even the colors! But, they had made a 9-speed bike into an 8-speed. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like an upgrade to me. Oh, and also the “old” version was now on sale for $400 less.

So Greg called a local bike shop to see if they could order the old version for him. And alas, they had one on hand and already built! It was even the color he wanted. It has a slightly different frame style, but for $400 off, no wait, and the 9th gear - he went for it! He came home with it within a half hour.

Our inaugural ride was over to the neighboring town of Louisville. We rode from the house due west along the Coal Creek Trail. Once we hit downtown we decided to stop for a cold beverage. We enjoyed our icy drinks at Ziggi’s from the open window that overlooks the bike rack. I had brought my chain lock along, so there was really no concern; the open window is just very appealing on a nice day.

After that refreshing little stop, we got back on the CC Trail and saw a sign alerting us that goats were working in the area on weed mitigation and fire suppression. I had recently seen a picture of these goats-at-work and was thrilled to learn that we may be able to see this “mowing” operation in person.

Soon enough, we rounded a corner and there they were! In all their bovid grass-munching glory. There were way more than I expected in this happy herd. And in all different colors. Some still wore tattered remnants of their winter wool. All in all, they looked very contented doing this type of manual labor.

Our entire ride capped out at about 11 miles, which felt just right for our first ride together on the new bikes.

So that was a Saturday. On SUNDAY, we ventured out again. But this time in the opposite direction with the goal being to make it to the town of Erie to the northeast. We thought it might be nice to have lunch downtown. We also wanted to try the doggy basket on the new bike. And it worked! Penny is back in action!

Neither of us had been on this stretch of trail before. We started out by crossing Highway 287 just outside of our neighborhood. It would be great if there was an underpass here, but until that day we have to use the pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection. There’s a traffic light, so it’s fairly safe. Once across, we made our way to the Rock Creek Trail just east of the hospital. We headed north on that trail, which is a combination of gravel and paved. It’s a very well maintained trail and has pretty great, albeit far-off, views of the mountains to the west. If you live nearby and haven’t tried this trail, do it!

11 miles - and about an hour later - we arrived in Erie! We rode downtown and chose to dine at Lucile’s, a very popular breakfast spot that is Creole/New Orleans style. I’d never been before despite having heard great things. It was heavenly! We sat on the porch outside with Penny and had the most delectable - and filling - meal. We even had a beignet.

Because we were on bikes and only had the dog basket, we couldn’t take any leftovers home. Therefore, we ate as much as we cared to and rode home rather sated. And this is where some motor power proved handy. We had ridden under our own power all the way out, so we gave ourselves a little break going home. It turned out to be quite a bit more uphill going home also. Next time we will skip the beignets!

This ride came in at about 21 miles and we would totally do it again!

That was Sunday and on MONDAY/Memorial Day we went out to buy some accessories for the bikes. It was our 24th anniversary so this was our little celebration. We each got a rack for the back of our bikes. We got the Bontrager Backrack Deluxe with the MIK snap-in system. We decided to go with this system so that all of our accessories will be cross-compatible with each other. If Greg’s tired of being Penny’s sherpa, I can swap out the basket with him.

I also got the Bontrager MIK Utility Trunk. I haven’t had a chance to really use it yet, but I love the concept. It has lots of space to hold things, including hidden panniers when you need even more storage. I hope it works well. I checked to make sure it could hold a bottle of wine - and it can! Why? I don’t know. But just in case. I mean, my cruiser bike has a beer case rack so…

We took a very short ride to Dairy Queen Monday night and toasted our anniversary with dipped cones. Awww.

And on TUESDAY, we rested…

P.S. I wrote this while camping at Horsetooth Reservoir. I learned how to do ALL the things so I could host a camping trip with my bestie. We’ve been doing this annual start of summer trip together for almost 10 years now. It’s a good life!

With our eyes toward this year’s camping season, we spent the last few months working on some upgrades to the rig. Before the end of last summer, Greg added a set of three cameras to the trailer, made by Furrion - one on the back, and one on each side. These are visible to us inside the cab of the truck on a screen that suctions to the windshield just under the rear view mirror. (Note to the uninitiated: a rearview mirror is of exactly no use whatsoever when there’s a trailer hitched up behind you.) This 3-camera system now serves as our eyes to what’s happening behind and beside us while on the road. It also makes changing lanes easier, which can be an extra spicy challenge when towing.

Then, over the winter, we purchased a new stereo for the truck by Pioneer. The truck is a 2007 model year, so basically from the Paleolithic period before built-in GPS and Android Auto/Apple Car Play, which now seem like necessities. Greg installed this new stereo and now we have the above-mentioned and some hip little USB-C charging ports as well. This is another major upgrade to our safety because now we can have Google Maps up hands-free. We can also listen to Spotify! No more Stone Age radio dials or those pesky, antiquated CDs!

Also, thanks to handy Greg, we have a new back-up camera on the tailgate of the truck. Now, I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but let’s just say that my life has truly changed in a MOST amazing way! We’ve hitched up the trailer exactly thrice since it was installed and exactly three times IT.WAS.DONE.ALONE! As in, I didn’t even need to be in the vicinity of the hitching up. (Except for the time I did it. Yay ME!) This is HUGE!! I’m shedding a tear of happiness. Anyone who owns a trailer knows that they are a springboard to marital bickering. And half of that comes from hitching up! The other half comes from backing into parking spaces and, well, that’s still a bit of a demon we haven’t yet slayed.

We went and got the travel trailer out of storage last week and brought it home to be de-winterized before our first weekend of camping. Greg watched YouTube videos and read the manual on how to do this. Then we cooled down the fridge, loaded up food and clothes, my new bike, and headed to the mountains for a 3-night stay at Golden Gate Canyon.

Having the bike along was so delightful! We hadn’t realized it ahead of time, but the campground was only partially open since it’s still early in the season. That made riding the bike around really, really fun. We’ve been camping at this park for many years, so it’s very familiar. But this time I was able to ride the bike on totally deserted loops and on roads that were gated shut. I could even test my skills trying to ride down the center of the yellow lines. Riding so freely also made me realize the actual scale of the campground - and it’s a bit smaller than I had thought. Interesting how a bike changes your sense of proportion versus by car or on foot.

We had one tiny scare in that the dump station was also gated shut. But luckily, the campground fully opened the day we were leaving and we got to Free the Pee. Drown the Brown? Well, it’s an indelicate subject, but suffice it to say that the lavatory gods provided for the jettisoning of some hearty organic matter, saving us an extra stop on the way home.

All in all, it was a flawless first trip for the season. Except for the part where I forgot to pack literally ALL of the coffee-making apparatuses (it’s not apparati, I just looked it up). This was a bit of a disaster, but we went to the mini-mart just up the highway and bought some locally fresh-roasted beans and rigged up a pour-over situation and voila, coffee was served. Still, a grave error I plan to never make again.

We enjoyed one campfire on a chilly evening and were warmed by a little cocktail. Camping really can be quite pleasant with the right accoutrements. Penny also enjoyed herself immensely in her special camp chair.

Preview to the next post: someone got their new E-bike! (And it wasn’t Penny…) We’ll be taking our first ride together today and hope to purchase some bike accessories over this holiday weekend. We need to get Penny basketed!

It’s also our anniversary weekend. Happy 24th anniversary to the hubs!! Let’s go slay some trails on our cute (yet rugged!) matchy-matchy bikes.

One way to get through May (“December’s Evil Twin”, as hilariously coined by a teacher friend) is to get outside for exercise and a healthy dose of fresh air. The warmer days have provided great opportunities for just that. While I thoroughly enjoyed my solitary and somewhat leisurely ride to Superior recently, it’s also a lot of fun to ride with a buddy. It’s usually an incentive to get moving faster and go a little farther. Plus, they know new places to explore that I might not have tried yet.

I’m fortunate enough to live next door to some pretty serious cycling enthusiasts. The Neighbor Man (NM) has worked in the cycling industry for decades. The Neighbor Lady (NL) is very health conscious and is a strong rider on both road and gravel. Plus, they just so happen to be great neighbors and nice people! They’re also the owners of our “bonus dog”. We have an amazing dog-sitting arrangement where we take each others’ dog when out of town. Neither of our dogs has ever been to a kennel.

On occasion, NL and I walk our dogs together through the neighborhood. While I’m usually content to take Penny on the 1-mile loop around the block, NL has a regular 3-mile route that snakes all through the subdivision. She’s hard-core! Penny and I joined her for the 3-miler last Saturday and while we were walking we decided to also go for a bike ride afterward. I didn’t feel too intimidated owing to my new e-bike and the assist it can offer if needed.

Well, it was needed! We ended up riding almost 18 miles and there was a pretty fierce uphill stretch at the mid-point. We left from our neighborhood, rode to Louisville, and then continued on the Coal Creek Trail west past the US 36 Denver Boulder Turnpike. The underpass system there is great and there are no busy roads to cross. We ended up in Superior just south of the Target and Costco. From there, we took the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail just off of Depot Street. You can head south or west on this trail and we went south. Very quickly it merges with the Meadowlark Trail.

These are both very well-maintained gravel trails, but they do have ramped cattle guard crossings that are a bit scary to ride over if you’re a newbie. The instinct was to dismount the bike and walk across, but NL encouraged me to ride through and I got the hang of it by repeating the mantra, “Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” As long as you keep moving forward, it’s an easy crossing. I forgot to take a picture, but they looked just like this:

This stretch of trail is also where a little boost of “e” came in handy. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself keeping up with NL this far, but the trail began snaking up the bluffs and I shamelessly used a little pep to keep up with her. The new Trek Dual Sport + bike came with a phone app called Trek Central and if you keep your phone in view, you can see just how much power you’re providing and how much the bike is providing. (My phone is mounted to my handlebars so it’s hands-free.) I try to make sure I’m getting a good workout by keeping my motor to rider power ratio low. For example, this entire ride came out to 16 watts of motor power and 81 watts of rider power. I can live with that. Ain’t no shame in taking a little help sometimes.

Our turnaround spot was just a couple miles further south, near where McCaslin and Coalton Rd. merge. And yes, there were more hills. But the views out here were incredible! To the north and east, Boulder County was laid out before us. To the west, the glorious Flatiron Mountains!

Neighbor Lady and I decided we will keep riding together whenever possible. She knows trails I haven’t tried yet and we both enjoy the company. I’m sure she also enjoys my frequent outbursts of “You’re so fast!” and “You’re in such great shape!” Haha. But it’s true! NL, I want to be just like you some day.

If any other friends want to ride, hit me up! I’ll make you feel very good about yourself.

Ride Map:

The best advice for living a happy life is contained in this peppy song. Live for now! Pedal on, friends.

The line of questioning could go on and on. As a brand new e-bike owner, I will tell you what *I* think. And what I think doesn’t really matter much because what’s true for you may be completely different.

So this past weekend I got my first e-bike! I’m SO excited!! Her name is Pony. I’ll do a full-on gear post with details and specs soon, but suffice it to say I am extremely happy with my choice. [Quick summary: I got the Trek Dual Sport +. It’s a Class 1 bike, meaning it has no throttle, just optional pedal assist up to 20 mph. It has a battery range of approximately 35 miles and only weighs 38 lbs!]

Isn’t she sweet?? I actually chose this bike for it’s non-ebike-ness. Is that like enjoying fish that’s not fishy?? (h/t to Jim Gaffigan.) This new bike is sort of an e-bike in stealth mode. It’s slim, sleek, lightweight, and it’s honestly not obvious that it has a motor or battery. The battery is housed in the tube. Sneaky! If you look closely, you can see the charging port. And the bike has a rear hub motor, which is also quite discreet.

As soon as I got the bike home from the store, it commenced to rain very hard for about 36 hours. So, almost TWO DAYS LATER I took Pony for her first ride. It was so hard staring at those new wheels for the better part of two days, but it gave me a chance to decide on some accessories.

When I finally got out for a brief ride yesterday, it was heaven on wheels! Even without any assist I was flying down the trails. I hadn’t realized how hard I was working with my 31 year old Trek! It’s true that the last bike I bought for myself was 31 years ago. I don’t recall the exact price, but amortized over 31 years, it’s probably about $12/year. What a deal!

This new bike feels great. It feels like freedom. It feels like riding felt when I was in my 20s. It’s exhilarating!

I took Pony out for a longer ride today. From home, I headed west and rode the Coal Creek Trail all the way to Superior. I actually ended up at one of my favorite shopping centers. (It’s my favorite because it has a Target and a Costco.) Because of such a rainy/snowy spring, the blossoms were popping and everything looked dewy-fresh and verdant.

Today’s ride was about 14 miles and I stayed out a little longer than usual in part due to the pedal assist (which I used VERY sparingly). So here is what I wrestle with: I didn’t get an e-bike to reduce my level of fitness or to get a free ride up hills. I still want every ride to be actual exercise. I want to maintain a baseline level of fitness as I get older. So the plan is to ride the bike like a normal bike, but with benefits. The way I see it, the e-bike offers a little insurance policy and a little bit of grace along the way. I didn’t have to worry about exhaustion. I worked hard on the way out - uphill and into the wind - only using pedal assist as a means to take small breaks. Of course, I also wanted to see what the bike could do on this inaugural ride.

I think using moderate assist is a very responsible way to use an e-bike. It keeps the ride organic and offers a true workout. It also mimics natural speeds. But I also think that if using full-on assist is what it would take to get someone off their couch and back on a bike, then that’s okay, too. The summer after my illness, our family rented e-bikes on vacation. They were the super-fat-tire-practically-a-motorcycle type. They were FUN!! And I couldn’t have done that type of riding without a motor at that time. So I don’t begrudge anyone who uses the technology for recreation or as an “advantage”. I think more people out enjoying nature is a good thing. Now, would I want a paved bike trail full of e-bikes going 28 mph? No way, and fortunately those bikes (Class 3 with throttle) are not allowed on most trails.

Just before heading back home today I took a spin through an area called Downtown Superior that has a lot of brand new housing and quite a commanding view of the Flatiron mountains. Tell me more, realtor.com! :D

So that’s the story of Pony’s first rides. A pony tale?? I’ll see myself out, thank you very much.

Today’s Route - courtesy of TrekCentral app (I need to change it to miles, not km.)

Song for Pony:

First, I need to acknowledge that the Freewheeling blog has been very quiet lately. That’s because it’s been winter time in Colorado. Neither bike riding nor camping were happening. Very sad.

But hope is now on the horizon. With this extra hour of daylight and little bulb plants peeking out, spring is springing. And with it will come straying farther from home and plenty of adventures. I am happy to say that planning season for camping went quite well and we have a lot to look forward to. Another thing that went well is that I challenged myself to exercise 5-6 days a week all winter so that I, too, would be primed for adventure. I’m feeling ready!

Most of the winter workouts were spent on the spin bike indoors or doing some strength training and stretching, but we had a rather mild February and did manage to get out a few times on the local trails. With Penny along for the ride, of course.

Today’s ride took us east, which we rarely do. I’ve been eager to ride from our home to the town of Erie, which lies just northeast. We waited a little late in the day to head out, so we decided not to do anything too strenuous or have any expectations. I highly recommend this tactic, by the way, because when you’re expectations are low it’s easy to exceed them.

We took the Coal Creek Trail to the east and just before we were about to turn around to head back, we saw on the hill in front of us one of our favorite hangout spots called Acreage. It’s a hard cider joint that, given its hilltop location, commands a truly stunning view of the Front Range. (That’s what we locals call the strip of Rocky Mountains to the west.)

Because it’s a 65 degree sunny day in March, many others also had the idea to make the pilgrimage to this amazing spot. Those of us on bikes were definitely in the minority, though, which made finding bike parking up front very easy. It also made it easy to feel like we “earned” a cider because we conquered the very formidable hill.

We found a perfect spot at a picnic table on Acreage’s vast lawn and sat down with a couple ice cold ciders. We don’t normally ride somewhere for a reward, but I have to say this was a really welcome treat. Penny busied herself on the mulch and watched kids play corn hole while we enjoyed our drinks.

It was only an 8.5 mile out-and-back, but it was just right on this pre-spring day that felt like an actual spring day. I, for one, am very much looking forward to more of these perfect days.

The route:

Song for the mood: