So I've only been riding for a few months and I'm having the time of my life. I've been riding alone and really enjoying the time to myself, very relaxing.
But I have a friend who has been riding as long, well longer, than I've known him. After he learned of my recent bike purchase, he started sliding some subtle invites for a ride. I didn't think I would be able to keep up so I delayed him for a while. Eventually I was feeling better about my abilities and about to start feeling bad for giving Dan excuses.
So we agree on a leisurely ride, thinking that his leisure might turn out to be my torture. So we met up at a local park and took off for another local park. There we got off the road and did a little sight-seeing. Plenty of blossoming flowers and trees and I spotted some rare bird that I can't remember the name of right now. Dan was pleased as punch, as he is a bird watcher too. I hate that I can't remember the name of that bird, it was a beauty. I was concentrating on remembering the Kinglet, a bird I have enjoyed for years but didn't know the name. Ignorance isn't always bliss.
Once we finished the flower sniffing and bird gazing, we got back on the bikes and he proceeded to show me some trails that I was unaware of. Well I knew they were there, I just had opted not to use them because of the No Trespassing signs. I appreciate Dan's blatant disregard for the law. I figure the man fought in Vietnam and if he wants to ride through the woods, he's got every right to (regardless of who holds the deed).
What a rewarding violation it was. The trails were pretty laid back, which was nice because I wasn't in the mood to push my hybrid bike to its' limits. Not yet anyway. Later down the trail, Dan showed me a beaver dam that he had been keeping an eye on. They had raised the level of this small pond by at least three feet. It appeared to be sturdy enough to walk across but neither of us felt like pushing our luck.
From there we proceeded along until the trail ended and it was back to the street. There was only a few miles left in the ride at that point since Dan was needing to run some errands.
Afterward I felt like I had only been teased with the short ride so I kept on going, riding all over town. It didn't take long before I was missing Dan. It was just nice to take it easy and make some small talk while pedaling about. I suppose next time I'll be calling him for the invite.
Thanks Dan!🙂