Summer Vacation!
And the birth of the "bike writer"
May 25, 2023
Today is the first official day of my summer vacation. (No more teachers! No more books!) Working at a public school for the past few years has given me a renewed exhilaration for the summer months. I’ve returned to the calendar we all grow up with as kids: back to school in the fall, an extended winter holiday, a week off for spring break, and then a looong summer vacation. I love it! It bookends the year in a way that’s conducive to setting goals and making plans. The exuberant anticipation of a big summer break is still present in me as an adult. Several of my closest friends are also teachers, so this is something we can share, which makes it even more fun.
The very last thing that happened before my break began yesterday was prescient. As I was making my way toward the 1st grade classroom door, stepping carefully over equally excited 7-year-olds, the teacher said to them, “Mrs. Frank is leaving to start her summer break. Everybody say goodbye. She is a bike rider and a writer.” We both looked at each other and simultaneously said “Bike writer!!!” So that is my new moniker that I am introducing today, with thanks to Mrs. Eckert, a fantastic 1st grade teacher. My last words to her were, “I’m using that!” My plan is to do a bike write after each bike ride. As a word nerd, this turn of phrase gives me great pleasure.
I’ve always been a fan of starting anew and with the best of intentions, so this morning I hopped on the hybrid bike (the Trek) and took a solo ride for Day 1. Due to wrapping up the school year and having a high school graduate to boot, I didn’t get out on the bikes as much as I had hope this early spring. But today was perfect. Graduation and its myriad festivities are over, the job is on hiatus until mid-August, the rain has stopped, and the smoky haze from Canadian wildfires has finally receded after many days.
Today’s ride was a 10-mile loop. A good starting length for getting back on the bike and preparing for longer rides this summer. I left the house by bike and headed south to the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve. I only had to cross one 2-lane highway to get there and the traffic light at the intersection makes it easy. The Preserve is a lovely area that’s part of Boulder County Parks and Open Space. It runs adjacent to and through parts of Rock Creek Farm, which the locals recognize as the pumpkin farm every fall. This particular open space has a nice sized lake, nesting habitat for large birds, and very accessible gravel trails for walking/hiking/running/riding.
Today’s fauna included some lazy cows, a bald eagle in a tree, some geese on the lake, a coyote that crossed my path much too close for comfort, a few other cyclists, and some people on foot enjoying the clearer skies today. I also saw some pretty wildflowers along the route, owing to the copious amounts of rain we’ve had recently.
I hadn’t ridden this trail for quite some time, but I was determined to hit the 5-mile mark before turning around. At about 4.5 miles I came to the Highway 287 underpass and proceeded through. I wasn’t planning to cross the highway today, but needed to for the mileage. Once across the highway, the trail branches off south to Broomfield or north back toward the towns of Lafayette, Erie, and even west toward Louisville and Superior. It’s all part of the Rock Creek Trail, which is impressive and still expanding as I mentioned in the previous post.
I accidentally took a picture of myself riding. It’s kinda cool, so I’m keeping it. It’s reminding me that I was having quite a bit of gear slippage today and need to get a tune-up. My trusty old (iron) steed!
One last thing to note today is that I am exactly 2 years into recovery from a life-changing serious illness. I was discharged from the last hospital stay on May 24th, 2021. Kid 1 graduated from high school on May 25th, so exactly two years ago today. I had a handicapped parking tag and a wheelchair in the car that day just in case. But I made it through his graduation under my own power. It was the beginning of a long road to recovery. To take this ride alone with great confidence in my abilities and my health is truly amazing and not something I will ever take for granted. Viva!
Penny says, “Will you please take me on the next ride??”
This makes me want to get out and ride! It sounds and looks so peaceful. This bike writing idea is wonderful!
Very inspiring!