You take the high road and we'll take the rough road!

New wheels in the 'extended' pack. Alicia has a new Schwinn Sidewinder. It's a twin to Torres' bike.  Nee (Alicia) says she's happy with it, and took it out for a spin the first night she got it home, in her pajamas.  That's impressive excitement and dedication and total disregard for the neighbors, lol!

Angelia's Sidewinder
First time on a newly discovered dirt trail.

Cycling is one of the most fun ways I've discovered to keep my blood pressure in line, keep motivitated and focused, to ward off depression, keep limber, keep my back and strength levels strong and healthy, and it was recommended by one of my doctors a long time ago. He was right. It worked! People (way too many of them) tell me they're too tired to cycle regularly, or even irregularly. My problem with that excuse is, it takes burning some energy to have energy! So, if you're tired, getting your heart-rate up a bit (safely of course), and moving around is a much better way to fight fatigue than taking a pill.

I admit, I cheat. I don't get to cycle every day, but most days I do get to put in enough workout time to break a sweat. However, in the wee hours of the night, when my eyes are getting heavy, I resort to Monster Blue and coffee. I resort to the Monster when I'm cycling as well, but that's more of a thirst issue than a fatigue issue. Although, there's been a few times when the Monster gave me the boost I needed to get on the cycle, or the elliptical and get going. Hopefully, you don't run on as little sleep as I do, and a workout will be enough to keep you on your feet and paying attention.

Luke Skywalker and Jared.
First time on bikes at Trinity Park, Ft. Worth, TX

There's my cycling speech and why anyone who is able to do it should at least tryyyyy it!! Toss a few friends with adventurous hearts into the mix and it makes for the perfect icing on the proverbial cake!  And, the adventure isn't always found on the bike saddle.  You can actually get off the bike, and have a look around when you find something interesting to explore.  Imagine that!

We found a cliff. :)

I have so much fun with my packmates that even a bad ride is still always a good ride, barring injuries, lol. If you're worried about injuries, my advice is stay out of the woods. Find a nice smooth piece of pavement somewhere and a touring bike, and you shoujld be fine! You can still manage an injury on tame pavement, it's not nearly as likely as it is on the hobbit trails through the forest, jumping logs, whizzing between trees and climbing in and out of ditches.  Of course, you don't necessarily have to be on your bike to get injured.  You just gotta use some sense and practice a little caution.

Torres and our youngest pack member,
her daughter Anjolee.  7 years old, six mile ride.
Breaking them in young!  She did great!

I asked Nee (Alicia) to send pix of her ride as soon as she had chance to take it out for it's first spin. Wish we could have been there to ride with her, or she could have been here to ride with us. Either way, our pack's not picky, we just love to see someone back in the saddle and then applaude and cheer while they improve in skill and physique!

Alicia's Schwinn Sidewinder
Hoosier Natl. Forest

I remember the trail in the photos she sent.  Several of us used to rollerblade here. Alicia said she couldn't ride the dirt trails because of recent rain. Trail rules (on any trail) no riding when they're wet. It fouls them up and the Bike Police will get you!

For me, it's a whole lot more fun to blade on these trails than cycle, but that's only because of the pavement. They have a couple of wicked little hills through this section of paved path. It was always a big thrill to watch David Mason go flying down them, while I stayed behind looking for something to hold on to so I could slow my speed. Most of us had fast skates. (Some of us still have fast skates. *Wink*) I don't mind skating at a moderate speed, but fast on a downhill is not my thing. I think I've had that little phobia glitch since the skating incident in Evansville, when a Mason twin, who shall remain nameless (see above).

Alicia's Sidewinder.
Heading down the bike/skate/walk path.
Hoosier National Forest

My point is, skating is great, but on dirt, a bike is more fun, and vice versa for pavement. I'm excited about my sister's new wheels and can't wait for the opportunity to get to ride with her, in the dirt, like the good ol' days when we first started cycling, back in Virginia.

Poor Farm in Ashland, Virginia is still the best park I've ever ridden, and sadly, I think they tore out the beautiful woods and trails there to make room for more ball fields. Luckily, there are still very good areas to ride in Virginia, and Alicia says southern Indiana is coming right up in the ranks for great mountain biking trails as well.

Luke Skywalker making friends with the local fauna.

Another great thing about cycling, not only is it an adventure in terraine and environment, it's a great way to make new friends! Ok, probably not with skinny-tire riders. They're fast, and they're rude, and they seldom have time to talk. And, why would you wanna be conversing with fast/rude peeps anyway? But the fat-tire riders, they're easy to get acquainted with, at least most of the time. They're great for giving directions and trail advice too. And those two riding genres aside, the cruiser-clan's pretty friendly as well. They're never in a hurry to get anywhere. They're just happy chatting and pedalling along, and if you want to slow down and catch your breath, they usually have no problem with you riding along side them for casual conversation. I'm still on the outs with most of the skinny-tire riders. Cruisers don't ride where I do, but they're nice when they pass us on the trail so they get a thumbs up for good sportsmanship!

Torre's and her Sidewinder.

Ok, I'll save the rest for later. Thanks for the read! Any comments (pro or con - we don't mind as long as they're not rude) are welcome!

Thanks for stopping by!!