10 mile victory!

I managed to get the boys out and we did 10.4 miles!  Yes, it included a stop at the Udder Side.  Mackinaw Island fudge scoop for me, suicide slushy (a little of every available flavor) for Aaron, and a cherry Cow Lick on a Stick (think a ice cream bar on steroids) for Sam.  They melted pretty quickly, but they sure were good!  They were offering $3 pies to raise money for the Humane Society, and it would have been delicious, but how do you get a pie home in a saddlebag?

The ride went pretty good too.  We took Bunn north to US12.  That gave us hill practice, as there are some doozies on Bunn Rd.  US12 gave Aaron practice with being close to traffic.  It makes him a little nervous, but you have to get used to it.  And with Riverfest going on in Jonesville this weekend, we had plenty of traffic to deal with.  Apparently we're improving, because it's getting easier (emphasis on the "-er" part) to keep us straight and on the edge of the road and not zigzagging into traffic!  

The ride home, however, was a different story.  We took the bike trail to Walmart and then took Lake Wilson to Mechanic to Bunn to home.  And we were against the wind the entire way.  Ugh.  Awful.  But we did it.  And Aaron and I made it up every hill, never had to walk it - yet.  I'm assuming hills on the PALM will require some walking, but so far, so good.  

So I'm calling this weekend a success.  We got out, we got a decent ride in, and with no major (or even minor) issues with the ride.   Next weekend, Aaron wants to ride to Wendy's for Frostys.  At this rate, I'm going to be gaining weight from all this "training"!  :)

Training, again. 5-14-15

Sam seems to be keeping in shape with track practice.  I, however, need to be more diligent and need to squeeze more bike time in.  So I went out this morning.  Bright, sunny, chilly.  It really wasn't too bad. 

I had to take a few things to church this morning, so I took Sam's bike instead of mine so I could stash my stuff in his saddlebags.  Oh, we found a new set of bags for him for a steal.  The kitty litter buckets worked, but were quite heavy and cumbersome.  We're going for sleek, baby!  So, I took off on a route, trying to avoid morning traffic (if there IS any traffic here).  On the way back, I decided to check out part of the PALM route that takes us into town (I just rode it backwards.  The route.  Not backward on my bike!)  Anyway, it was a pretty section of Reading Road/Bankers Road that goes past the golf course.  I was admiring a bird as he flew along with me and was amazed at how close he was getting. .. until I realized he was just trying to get close enough to poop on me.  I saw the white streak coming and then heard the splat just a foot or so from my front tire.  Thank goodness for birds with bad eyesight!



So 12.6 miles overall this morning.  I think I like Sam's bike.  His frame is an inch or so smaller than mine, and I think it fits me better. And I like his gear ratio.  Hm, wonder if I can talk him into a trade.  Maybe I'll make him take mine on our next ride and see what he thinks.  I think I need a lot more riding.  I was enjoying the ride this morning, but decided that I was ready for a rest at the end of it.  And that was not even 15 miles yet!  Ugh.  I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!!!

It's warm, we must ride! 5-3-15

We must!  I think the hardest thing about going this year is that we know what lies ahead.  Last year, we just went on blind faith that this is something we could do.  People we knew who had ridden the PALM had told us we could do it, so I suppose we just thought we could.  Now we know.  We know that we can, but we also know that it's going to hurt occasionally. . . sometimes. . . often. . . ok, A LOT!  :) 

So Aaron and I have been practicing on the tag-along bike.  We have ridden together with this bike lots of times before, but he was much smaller.  Now he's 75 pounds and used to riding and being in control of his own 2 wheeled bike.  It's taking both of us some getting used to, but we're getting better!   All three of us went for a 6 mile ride this weekend.  Started at the trailhead at Sandy Beach and rode up to Burger King.  Stopped for a slurpee then rode back.  It's a flat section of the trail, and Aaron and I discovered we do really well on flat ground.  Hills (big or small) are still a challenge for us.  Mostly because his tag-along does not have gears, so on the steep hills when I downshift, he's stuck in a single gear and it's nearly impossible for him to peddle.  So, we'll walk the big hills, and get a good workout on the small ones. 

Again this year, with Sam's track schedule, we're sort of stuck with weekends for riding.  He doesn't usually get home from school until 6pm, and after dinner and homework, it's just too late.  And Saturdays have been booked with Owen's track meets, so it's Sundays for our rides.  What happened to "a day of rest"??  Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.  And I think that is going to entail encouraging, cajoling, bribing. . . whatever it takes to get us out!  I'm thinking next time we start back at the trailhead again, but this time make it to Jonesville before heading back.  The trail just happens to end at The Udder Side in Jonesville, and if we just happen to be there, we may as well get some ice cream to refuel!