Not a Rainy Day Rider

I needed to go downtown to ENI this morning and was ready to ride my bike along with Tony but when I got down to the street, it looked like it was going to rain so my stuff went into the car instead of the panniers. And rain it did - even the bike messengers looked like they regretted being on bicycles.

Smells like Spring

I did a bit of cycling this weekend. Tony and I rode to the movies on Friday evening. When we set out at 6:30 pm we thought we were set for the ride back home after dark. We had reflective vests and bike lights but we didn't check the batteries before we left. Needles to say, replacement batteries were purchased first thing, the next morning.

Riding through the neighborhood is just wonderful right now - the side streets do not have much traffic and honeysuckle and magnolia are in bloom and the air smells are just lovely. Last night (Saturday) we walked over to our neighborhood park (an unexpected treat that we discovered, after we moved in) for an outdoor showing of the movie, Big. On the walk over there were even better smells in the air. I don't know plants very well but I think it was a gardenia bush. All these great scents in the air and usually I just roll past them with the windows up and the air conditioner on.

This morning we took a little ride to show Eleanor the way (on bicycle) to the art school associated with the Museum of Fine Arts. She is signed up for a couple of classes and we want her to be able to get there on her own so that no one will have to schedule work around the drop-off and pick-up times. It is a nice little ride - the only hitch is crossing a couple of busy streets and a bridge over the freeway but I think the whole route is either a marked bike route or very lightly used neighborhood streets. If we can get her to ride along with us a couple more times, I don't think she will have a problem finding her way.

After that little tour, Tony and I went on to find bagels and the New York Times. There is a little (non-franchise) bagel shop a few blocks west and by the time we got out of there, the line was out the door. Pretty good bagels - no New York Times so a brief respite and a double, tall latte from Starbucks was in order. They always have the New York Times. We sat outside for a little while to drink our beverages but didn't stay long enough to more the glance at the paper - we had warm bagels and cool lox and creme cheese to get home.

Let's start again

The MS150 is pretty much just a bad memory. Everything that could go wrong, did. It has been almost 3 weeks and I needed just about that long to detox. I didn't ride, I knew I wasn't going to ride. Tony did ride, he finished and I think that is enough said about the 2008 bp MS150.

I am going to get on a bike, again - I guess that is good. Tony and I are going to ride next weekend. It is a one day charity ride - multiple distances (25 miles is the least - that will be me) and there are hamburgers at the finish. Yes, I am pedaling for beef.

I'm sure that I will enjoy the ride more if me and the bicycle spend some time together before the ride. The weather is getting warmer but it is not yet blazing. I'd like to make a tour of the farmer's markets on Saturday - that will be a start.

Pedaling continues even if blogging has not

I have done a few more rides and I will write about them but life (and computer access) has interfered with the detail of the past few weeks.

For the coming week. we start hills - there are two routes: 29.5 and 41 miles.

My husband wants to take the long route and I agree (in theory) but I'm going to leave both options open and assess the weather, the wind and my whim when I get there.

Apparently, the long route goes past some the Boy Scout 'hot spots' when he has gone camping, etc.

I did NOT ride on Saturday; the boys did, but I took Eleanor(my youngest) to take her entrance exam for high school. On Sunday, Tony and I rode from our house (Memorial & Bunker Hill Road) to downtown and back. I still haven't figured out my bike computer but Tony said it was about 25 miles. I also took my bike downtown on Tuesday morning and rode it back home so that would have been another 10-12 miles. I think I really like city riding better - even if I don't stop, I like having a constant stream of Starbucks as options. Clearly I'm a retail, not a nature gal.

150 Miles is a Long Way

I have convinced my husband and my son to join me in training and participating in the bp MS150 between Houston and Austin in mid-April. This blog is to report on our training and fund-raising progress and to let you, the reader, join the fun by reading, posting, donating or providing moral support on this, many would say, Mission Impossible.

First, the basics: 150 miles (but they say, the real distance is more like 180 miles) on bicycles - the pedaling kind, not the motoring kind.

I am 52, lumpy and not real active. My husband is 53; he swims, rides his bike to the YMCA and lifts weights somewhat irregularly. My son, John, is 16, trim, taking PE in high school, and walks the dogs almost every night but otherwise is not real active.

Houston to Austin is mostly (but not completely) flat.

MANY people participate in the MS 150. So many that the organizers have have to limit the number of participants to 8000, I think - I'll check and make sure of the exact number. Most finish and live to ride again so it must actually be possible although at the moment it seems more like an Urban Myth