This post is going to be about our Sunday bike ride, but I have to admit that coffee hour is also a favorite after-church activity, especially on the Sundays when our friend K. is in charge of the food, for she always brings (among other goodies) her famous sausage rolls and infamous monkey bread. Everyone knows to get over to the parish hall pronto after the service when it's K.'s Sunday, because those items disappear fast. Not exactly a healthy breakfast, but a wonderful Sunday treat.
And we followed it by a 21-mile, two-hour calorie burning spree.We drove to the western end of the West Orange Trail, and biked the South Lake Trail and the Lake Minneola Scenic Trail, along with an unnamed (as far as we could tell) side trail. I just love the Rails-to-Trails program. Not all parts of these trails are built on old rail beds, but most are, and it's clear we would not have this wonderful resource if they had been sold off. One of our favorite trails ends abruptly because we have have Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and other stores sitting where the trains used to run. It's not impossible to make room for the trail to continue around them, but it's more difficult and expensive. Anyway, I'm grateful to the foresighted people who made these bike trails possible.
As great as I felt this morning, my body soon informed me that it had not fully recovered from yesterday's 14-mile journey. I was fine on the level, but today's trails had a lot of hills—for Florida, anyway—and that's where my legs complained. I normally ride without making use of my gears, but this trip taught me the value of downshifting. :)
What goes up must come down, and I set a new speed record for this bike (or at least for this speedometer): 27.4 mph. Funny how that's barely creeping in a car, but felt gloriously, even dangerously fast this way.
The Clermont trail just ends, but some day I imagine it will connect to the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail, nearly thirty miles of rurual, even isolated riding. It will be a while before we are ready for that one, but it's something to look forward to.Given that I am a boy, and that practically the only purpose for a boy to want a speedometer for his bike is to see how fast I can go, you may or may not be surprised to learn that one can get up to 45 mph going down the hill going to my parents' house. (Hypothetical note, it might be hard to slow down enough to make the corner at the bottom, but if the neighbors garage door is open at the top of their driveway, if you pull on your brakes as hard as you can all the way up their driveway, you will stop before hitting the back of their garage.)
My lifetime top speed on a bike was a little under 60 mph, achieved while going down the Kancamangus Highway, though I biked over it in the summer, and not the winter, as in this picture. I forget the mileage from the top to Lincoln - I think it was an 11 or 15 mile downhill, which was pretty nice, considering the morning was spent on the uphill portion.
I love your hypothetical note. Does your mom read my blog?
I'll admit to not being of the male persuasion -- the primary reason I bought my speedometer was for the odometer function. It's still fun to set records, though.
Uphill is the price we pay for downhill. Boring old lady that I am, however, I do like flat trails. Good thing, since we live in Florida.
Do you have the same problem with goodies at your church as we do at ours - where the kids all rush to get the good stuff before us older people can hog it?
Actually, we don't have. The goodies are served between the 8:00 and the 9:30 services, but it's mostly 8:00 people who eat them, thanks to the tendency for getting to church just in time for the service to begin. Most of the children in the church attend the later services, because (1) families with young children and/or teenagers have a hard time getting them up and out in time for an 8:00 service, and (2) the 9:30 and 11:00 services have Children's Church, which many families like, and 8:00 doesn't.
Actually, there are sometimes children around then, and they are almost always polite and don't take too much -- or if they try to, their parents quickly intervene. But really we don't have very many data points on which to base that.
But we older folks are greedy enough when it comes to the sausage rolls and monkey bread!
I don't think my mom does read it. And she is probably happy that she doesn't know some of the crazy stuff I did as a kid.
Just for the record, sometimes I DO read it- so be careful what you say. And I'll bet I know more stuff than you think I do. :-)
Personally, I enjoy hearing about the crazy things my kids have done -- AFTER the fact, when I know they're home and safe. I'll bet your parents do, too.
I feel that way about your capsizing stories: If I'm learning about it on the blog, instead of by phone, I know you're okay. :)
By the way, Mom Daley -- I'm glad you do sometimes stop by. Please comment more!
Well, I'll bet you don't know about... oh wait. never mind. :)
