Machka 

Where are you cycling ... for fun ... this weekend?


I was car-free for many years (and will be again), and when I was, one of the things I really enjoyed was spending an entire summer day outside ... mostly on my bicycle.

I might set off at some point in the morning, and cycle to one of many local beaches anywhere from 50-100 kms away. Then I'd spend some time at the beach swimming, or lying on a towel reading a book and soaking up the sun. Later I'd make my way home, often stopping along the way to get something to eat. I'd arrive back home as the sun was coming down. Those were great days!!

I tried to head off in a different direction every weekend, and really got to know the province. Many times I'd stop at beaches, sometimes it would just be a ride to explore some roads I hadn't ridden. Other times I'd check out historical sights or towns I hadn't been to before. There's a lot of interesting stuff out there!!

I'm not car free right now, but I still enjoy spending my weekends on my bicycle.

How about you?

super-douper

i ain't car free (just car lite) and this isn't this weekend, but I had a great car free weekend last weekend.

Was on vacation in Alaska, my bro-in-law and I rented jamis codas in Juneau, AK and rode to the mendenhall glacier to spend the day hiking and gawking at the glacier. After we left we rode to see Auke lake and the University of AK southeast (where my sister went to school) and back to drop off the rentals just in time for dinner and beers.

even though we had headwinds all afternoon this day has been the highlight of my summer. Without the bikes it would not be.

Artkansas 

Sadly, nowhere. I will be pedaling to work early to monitor a client's site when it turns on in the morning, and I have to pedal to the Alltel Arena to work an Arkansas Twisters' game and then pedal home. So it should be a little more than a 25 mile day.

I may turn the trip to the Alltel into a fun trip by going along the Arkansas Rivertrail though and crossing into North Little Rock over the Big Dam Bridge.

I'm not sure what Sunday promises. I need to spend the time writing resumes and updating my online portfolio since my current employer has missed payroll three times and I'm taking that as a hint.

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Update, Rain has moved in, so I will likely end up taking the bus instead of riding along the Rivertrail.

bigfo

I will be pedaling around town, going to the local farm teams baseball game this afternoon, then fireworks tonight. With a 3 day weekend next week, I am hoping to ride somewhere a little farther, just don't know where yet.

wahoonc

Grocery store and the tractor parts store possibly the local vegetable farm if I have time.

Aaron

Lamplight

Probably just around town if I have to. It's too hot to cycle for fun now, except very late at night.

77midget

just got back from a ride to town for coffee and some bagels. I am not car free, but getting lighter every day. This was actually the first real errand I have run on my bike in a while, though I have been commuting for just over a month now.

Wife and I re-defined our car situation this morning-we no longer have her car and my car, but rather the car with good mileage, and the car to haul stuff. What used to be my car gets over 30 HW and about 27 around town, and the other car is a toyota minivan. Our area is not really suited to car free, as it is very rural, no transit, and very hilly, but we are working on it. Basic rule is if the car is there and you dont need to haul, use it. For me, if it is within 3 miles, I will bike. I will soon push that to 5 miles, but need to ease into it.

Later today, I will be biking up to the local farm where we own a seasonal organic produce share, so I will be picking up the week's veg and eggs, and possibly have some ice cream

I am trying to get the courage and strength up to bike to my buddy's 4th of July cookout next weekend, but it is 30 miles each way. a little daunting.

scattered73

Will be riding in pride parade tonight, will probably be the slowest I will ever cycle, should be lots of fun though.

gerv 

I just fit a new rear derailleur and chain on my commuter bike.

If I can get it all working, I'd like to head up towards Mall-land. I need a new pair of glasses and the only optical places I can find are located in Malls.

If I survive all that and someone hasn't stolen my bike, I may go for a recreational ride with my son. Probably on a trail somewhere... if we can find one that isn't barricaded due to flood damage.

Machka 

Saturday's adventures were car assisted ... a drive out to our start location, 102 km ride in the mountains, and a drive home again (see Cadillac's post in the Long Distance forum).

But today's adventure was car-free. I rode 65 kms round trip to one of the local beaches.

Because it is a "long weekend" (sort of) here in Canada, and a very hot day in the part of the world, the beach was packed. There was a long line of motorized vehicles at the entrance and park official were only allowing these vehicles in as someone left. So there was a bit of a wait ...... for them ..... but not for me! I rode up to the front of the line and asked if bicycles could go in, and the official grinned, and said, "Yeah sure!" so in I went!!

I found an empty bench in a reasonably quiet area of the beach, and spent a lovely hour or so soaking up the sun, reading my book, and occasionally splashing in the water. A lovely day!


Anyone else ride for fun this weekend?
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cutman

I didn't get out there this past weekend, but this coming weekend we're taking a ferry from Boston to Provincetown (on the tip of Cape Cod) and pedaling down to Dennis (that's about 2/3 of the way down the Cape) for a day on the beach with family. About half of the route will be on the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

77midget

nice one cutman-I was just plotting a possible trip to the cape w/ the wife to do parts of the rail trail.

Dahon.Steve

I went to work today for several hours.

Took the train which left me at the World Trade Center, then past 42nd street to my office on 57th. New York City is the bomb riding at 6 in the morning without any cars. After 12 noon, it becomes a jungle but you can't beat it during the morning hours.

Next Friday, I'm going on the group ride to City Island where they have great seafood. I don't like the hills but that's life. I try to make at least one group ride every two weeks and there are some that do that EVERY week. However, goup rides are great but I have different needs like visiting the mall and using commuter trains to visit different cities.

wahoonc

Made both my runs successfully, the look on the counter guy's face at the tractor place was great. I picked up 4 oil filters, 2 air filters and 7 fan belts. He brings them out the side door to put them in the "truck" for me Blew his mind the truck was a bike with baskets.

Grocery store run was typical and uneventful, glad to get them both done before it really got hot. We hit close to 100f.

Aaron

robinthehippie

I'm doing a half-century (today is the last day of my weekend) around the west Denver Metro area. I used to drive C470 every day and always thought it would be cool to see at a speed slower than 80mph... the bike path sounds like a perfect opportunity. I'll stop for coffee and lunch, somewhere interesting that I haven't been before.

cyclezealot

Our club was heading out to do more mountain work. We short circuited the worst of the mountains because it was too hot. We still got in 60 Km. We were originally going to do another 40 Km up in the mountians.

gwd

We began with a trip to the bank to cash an "economic stimulus" check. We got sidetracked by a yard sale. Then decided to explore an alternate route to a Vietnamese coffee shop/bakery. We stimulated the economy with an iced coffee and snack box and some passion fruit drink to carry with. Well that is halfway to the lake so why not see what its like biking to the lake? At the lake we got talking to a guy fishing with his son. The guy outlined a route through the woods that he rides with his son so we tried it. Got caught in a rainstorm. Refreshing. Well, since we're going by the grocery store anyway we did some shopping. We stimulated the economy some more by buying food. The trip to the bank which would've taken 30 minutes by car lasted 5 hours by bike. This illustrates the down side of car free living, errand running is so fun you tend to expand the mission till you eat up the whole day with frivolous biking with no other purpose than to enjoy yourself.

wahoonc

Actually that is my life's goal

Aaron

Machka 

Are there really only just a few of us who head out on our bicycles to have fun on the weekends?

gwd

We have fun on our bikes every day of the week, while we use them for transportation. The only difference is on the weekend we don't usually have to check in at work. I know that after I sold the car my weekend rides just to ride became rare. My description of last weekend- get some things done along the way extend the errand running is more typical. Sometimes I take camping trips or what not or explore a new place. I also do long fun rides if I'm getting in shape for a tour.

Machka 

Why was that?

During the years I was car-free, I commuted to work by bicycle and ran my errands on foot (the grocery store, etc. was very close to where I lived) during the week .... and then spent my entire weekend out on my bicycle somewhere, just for fun.

wahoonc

My rides were for fun...if it had been serious I would have ridden the roadie in full kit (JK!) If I had to I could have driven the truck to the places I rode the bike. However I was under direct orders NOT to take any side trips (like I have a bad habit of doing) All told I rode about 25 miles and enjoyed every minute of it! And on two different bikes

Aaron

Platy

Once I told my partner I don't ride recreationally. She has been teasing me about that ever since, because often I ride a lot for some obviously made-up reasons (like scouting out new routes).

Jabba Degrassi

My "weekend" consists of Wednesday this week. I just finished putting together my new IRO and I plan to spend my day off riding the hell out of it. Maybe I'll even take a train out to the country to get back to nature a bit. I don't really know.

gerv 

I find myself doing more and more "fun" transportational rides on Saturday ... trip to the library, health food store, LBS, even Walmart once in a while. Then Sundays, I like to head out of town on a purely recreational run. If you set all the transportation rides up nicely (not too much shopping, for example....), they can be a lot of fun.

My only problem with the Sunday ride is that get to the half-way point of the trip and realize I should turn around. I have this tremendous urge to keep going....