I don't think it's gonna rain...

I don't think it's gonna rain!

     Sure, the drops on my glasses and mirror would indicate rain; but that's not what the weatherman said...

     It was a gorgeous day Saturday, but Sunday was the day about five of us had planned to take a bike ride on the University Parks Trail.  We planned to meet up at the University in the morning and then ride from there.

     Of course, once again, people started backing out.  Did they know something I didn't??  The rain wasn't supposed to come until later that evening.  Boy! It's like pulling teeth to get people to get on a bike these days.  Actually, I think they would rather have their teeth yanked...

          When I got there the parking lot was bone dry; the others were just nuts.  But while I was waiting to see who else was crazy enough to show up I made a new friend, Shawn.  Shawn is a Sylvania Police Officer. I guess that's one way to stay on the right side of the law; befriend a cop:) 

      Noticing Shawn had a bike rack but no bike I pulled out my cape and became "Captain Obvious":)  I said "I see you have a rack but no bike... I'm guessing you're running??" Lucky for me most people don't say what's on their mind:)

     He told me he rode 55 miles the day before so this day he planned on running.  I asked him if he ever rode in the Bike To The Bay and he told me he rode last year, but couldn't ride this year because of another event, so I started my attempt of recruiting him to join my team:)  Who knows; we might be looking at another leapfrog here!

     As we were talking, my buddy Robert showed up and informed me everyone else had bailed; could it be the  mention of a little water freaked them out??

     By the time we all exchanged our bike trail stories the rain began to fall and it appeared we would have to take a "rain check" on the ride (hey, for once this cliche' makes sense!).

     But after a few more minutes of idle chit chat the rain appeared to be stopping so we thought we would head out and see how far we could get.

       By the time we got to the first cross road the rain was coming down even harder than before... and if there's one thing I've learned it's the further away you ride, the further you have to ride back.

          If I only had windshield wipers on my glasses, I may have toughed it out...

          But once again, the best laid plans would take a detour; not unlike my life:)

     As you can see, the parking lot looks a lot different then when I first got there.  Believe it or not, getting rained on when you're just standing there is actually refreshing with the humidity rolling in.  Remember back in the day, when kids used to play outside in the rain and splash in mud puddles??  That was the life!  I guess now they worry about all of their electronics getting wet... that, or melting:)

     Okay, I may not have taken a long ride, and I may have cut it short, but did ride.  And you know the old saying... You can't finish what you never start!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Happy Trails again

          Back in the day, the "weather girl" only had to stand there and look pretty in front of an invisible map on a green screen while she made her weather "guesses" for the day.  All she needed was a quarter and there was a fifty-fifty chance of rain. These days Meteorologists can practically tell you down to the second when the rain will be here and for how long.

     It had been a week since my ludicrous bike ride in the freezing cold, and I desperately wanted to get back out and ride.  The weather forecast predicted rain every day in the week ahead of us, and temps in the forties, with the exception of Monday, which was supposed to be around 60 degrees, and the rain was supposed to be very brief; from 11 to 1 o'clock, so Monday afternoon it was.

     After the rain passed through I had to assess the wet pavement situation.  With my skinny road bike tires there was no way I was riding until the streets were dry.  I've been told the thin tires won't cause me to lose control, but riding in a state of panic will.

     I went to Wildwood Park, which is where I would pick up The University Parks trail and this is what the parking lot looked like.  
                                       
     It was obviously going to be a while before it was dry, but I knew it would happen eventually, so I went home and waited for that time to come.  

     A couple hours later I threw on my bike gear and headed  back; what a difference it was.  Look at all the cars now!  Obviously, there were a lot of other people who had the same idea as me.

          However, when I got on the trail it's self, I discovered there were very few people who actually left the park and ventured on to the trail, but that was fine with me; this way I wouldn't have many bikes to dodge.

     I did come across a couple who were out walking and were obviously taking a quick break.  I wanted to get a picture of the trail in it's infancy after the brutal winter and I didn't think this kind looking couple would mind taking it for me.  I was right; they were very sweet.  

           So I'm chalking this one up to my first "official" bike ride for the season.  (after all, the ride last week was actually just a ride down memory lane;)

     One more note before I declare this ride a success; the construction that wasn't finished after the entire summer last year was still waiting to be completed...  

                                       


       Oh well, we have all summer ahead of us and we're not going anywhere, anytime soon.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Training wheels, training or trains

     With all of my training for the Bike To The Bay over the past year I've over come many obstacles and made many interesting discoveries.

     One year ago I was very proud of myself when I made it 8 miles on my bike, and now if I don't go at  least 15 miles it isn't really a "bike ride" at all.  And I thought those "training wheels" would never come off.

     I've gone from huffing and puffing at 8 -10 miles an hour to averaging about 13 miles an hour;  All this with only one "good leg".  It's amazing what you can accomplish if you just have faith.

     The many bike trails I've discovered around the city have opened up a whole new world for me, and It's a freedom I never knew existed.

     One of my favorite bike trails is the University Parks Trail.  After riding it many times I learned a bit about the origin of this fine trail.  To my understanding this trail was built along the route of an old rail road, which you can see as you travel the path, though never a glimpse of a train in sight.

     Yesterday, however, I made another discovery and that is that this railroad is only "old" in the sense of the word, but by no means retired.

     I always pick up this trail by way of Wildwood park and for the first time I was actually stopped in my tracks (no pun intended) by a passing train.  I had to take a picture because it was so unbelievable.

     Then I had to have a kind stranger and fellow biker snap a picture of the expression on my face which meant  "WTF" (When's this finished??... come on, what were you thinking?!?!).

     So now I guess I have to rename this the University Parks Trail/railroad, and not only do I have to watch out for crossing animals, but possibly a random train or two.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

When a grey cat crosses your path does that mean mediocre luck??

     

     The University parks trail is a trail I used to love to roller blade every day, back before this MS business decided to make things complicated.

     I would travel from one end to the other and back in about one hour; approximately 13 miles.  Every night like clock work I put on my blades and hit the trail as though there wasn't a care in the world.

    The fact that MS and foot drop has made it impossible for me to roller blade any more isn't going to stop me from hitting that trail again; only now it's on my bike.  In the past couple of weeks I went on that trail with friends, and it brought back fond memories from the past.  However, I wouldn't dream of hitting the trail by myself anymore.  What if I got a flat?? or wiped out??  Who would help me??

     The other day I had plans with friends, to ride the Wabash Cannonball trail, which starts by Fallen Timbers Mall and goes out by Oak openings park.  I was really looking forward to the ride and it was a long trail, but I planned to divide it into three parts with breaks in between to see if I could actually make it 35 miles in one day.

     However, the plans fell apart and we had to cancel the ride.  I was a little bummed; I actually had bike shorts on with padding so the long ride didn't make make my poor little booty ache for days.

     But I wasn't crazy!  I totally had to wear gym shorts over the padded shorts.  I mean, what girl wants extra padding?  We're always asking "does this make my butt look big!?!?"  Well, hello!!  padded shorts!!  Heck yes, they make your butt look big!!

     But that was neither here nor there because we weren't going anyway... But wait... this was my chance to take that leap of faith again and do my favorite trail on my own.

     At the University Parks Trail there were a lot of people who had the same idea as me, and I felt comfortable knowing that if I did break down I could surely get some help.

     But as I got further along the crowd started to thin and I knew it was time to head back;  Okay, I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

     At the end of my ride I came across a young couple sitting on a park bench lacing up their roller blades and I decided to ask them to take a picture for my blog before they began their ride.  

     They were more than happy to, and as the girl was taking a couple pictures the guy continued to lace his blades.  I mentioned to them that I was riding in the MS bike to the bay.  They said "good for you!" They just so happened to have a friend who was newly diagnosed with MS.

     I told them I have MS, and for many years I had roller bladed this trail, only now with the MS I've traded in my blades for a bike.

      I thanked them for taking the time to help me and the young man said " It's no problem, this is my first time on roller blades and I was glad to stall!"

     Thinking back, I knew the feeling, and I assured him one day he would love it!!

     Oh... the grey cat thing... so as I was riding, this grey cat came darting out from nowhere, and the first thing that went through my mind was "dang lucky that cat wasn't black!!"  But when a grey cat crosses your path does that mean mediocre luck?  That day I would call it GOOD!

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)