My first big girl bike ride of the season!

     This past weekend was turning into the perfect weather for a bike ride, and my plan was to get out on Sunday afternoon with a few riding buddies.  I had already gotten my "sea legs"  with my two little "baby rides" over the past couple of weeks, so I needed to amp it up just a tad.

     Two of the riders were just getting back into riding again after years of sabbatical, and I knew this would give me a chance to slack a little on this ride.  If I managed to ride ten miles I would consider it a job well done.

     However, when Sunday came around the bike ride totally fell apart.  I guess sometimes the best laid plans get put on hold. I knew the days of seventy and sunny were few and far between, so I was a little bummed, but the day wasn't over.  Things always have a way of working out, and where there's a will there's a way...

     I managed to get a ride in after all.  I ended up riding with a new riding buddy I met, of all places, in the parking lot of Wildwood Park.  It was just the two of us (and about 14 thousand others) there.  Here I thought I was the only one who thought it was a good day for a ride...

          The park was so packed that cars were backed up waiting for others to leave so they could take their parking space.  Before long cars started lining the streets, even though there were signs that clearly stated parking was permitted in marked spaces only... oops!

     After being locked up indoors all winter it was as if the prison guards had opened the gates and the inmates just swarmed this park.  

     My original thought was to just take a couple laps around the park, but after dodging a million cars as well as pedestrians who had no idea how to share the roads with cyclists, the trail seemed like a much better idea.  Once again, about 14 thousand others had that same thought...

     People or no people, the day was beautiful so it was very hard to end my ride.  After completing the entire bike trail and riding back into the park I looked at my computer only to discover I had rode almost  fifteen and a half miles!  Not to mention I had another possible prospect for the Bike To The Bay:)

          I guess it's official now.  No more excuses about "phasing into riding" anymore.  And that was my first "big girl" bike ride of the season:)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)