You can't believe how good it feels to have biked all the way from my house to Lake Farm Park, south of the Coliseum! 12.0 miles, according to Google Maps. How liberating to know I can do that! That may be a short jaunt to a more "serious" biker, but remember that I spend my days in front of a computer and have long-term injuries and heart issues. I haven't even been able to walk without pain for over two years - until this spring.
My electric bike feels like a partner. Together we did this. I could not have done it alone, but neither was I a slacker who let my partner do all the work. I certainly worked hard enough to feel thoroughly tired out! What a great way to be tired!
It's an interesting ride, with each section quite different from the others. It ranges from an empty and rather industrial stretch of old rail corridor behind Home Depot to a nature conservancy area on the Capital City trail.
Going south of Home Depot it's quite pretty - a whole world you just can't see except by bike.
It's like kayaking: normally you drive along the roads and you cross over rivers in the blink of an eye, or catch a glimpse of a lake through trees. When you're in a boat, new worlds open up to you - and you start looking for more new worlds to explore. I have been spending time looking at maps of bike paths, and I am beginning to formulate goals based on, "Hmmm, I wonder what that looks like," or "I bet that's a beautiful place to bike."
I would have been able to go the entire way on bike paths, but I missed my first turn-off, so I ended up doing a section on McKee Road (Hwy PD). I wouldn't recommend it. There is an ok shoulder to bike on, but there is a lot of traffic and it's going fast. It's not an ugly road, but it's not pretty, and the traffic for me reduces the enjoyment.
I joined the path again in time to go over the bridge over Fish Hatchery Road.
The conservancy area is quite pretty, and I think it would be a great place for bird watching. My bike had developed a squeak (more about that in a minute), and it drove many away, but I saw a bluebird, a thrush, and what was probably a Northern Harrier. All three nest in this area, but they're all three more countryside birds that don't come to my part of town.
I made it to Lake Farm Park in about an hour and a half, and was definitely using the power assist more towards the end! I'm obviously not going to set any speed records, but I feel I did just fine. :-)
Lake Farm is s really nice park, with camping and hiking and bird-watching and shelters - and it's right on Lake Waubesa. In the winter there are cross country ski trails. On this evening there was a drum circle going on at one of the far camping areas, so I hiked and biked over there to listen for a while. I love drums, and I love the idea of everyday people getting together to create drum rhythms in a circle around a bonfire. It's very primal and at the same time very welcoming and civilized and friendly.
I called my son after a while, who had kindly agreed to come and pick me up. We folded my bike in half, and he actually fit it onto the back seat of his small car. I have to admit it's a bit awkward manoeuvring a heavy bike that's been folded in half - but it's still a great convenience and amazing that you can do it at all. I rode home in triumph, appreciating how long the drive home was and I'd biked all that way!
Footnote about the squeak. I have to mention, for full disclosure, that the reason my bike developed a squeak is because I fell just as I got to the end of Highway PD. It was a dumb fall, which is why I don't want to mention it. I had come to where I had to cross PD to get back on the bike path, and I simply braked too fast. I was turning slightly, so I lost my balance and went over sideways - and came very close to shooting out into the passing cars. It was a depressing experience, 1 because it was a silly way to fall, 2 because not one car even slowed down as I fell or to see if I was ok, and 3 it has been sad to realize how much my balance is not as good as it was even a few years ago. It's a great thing that we have so many lovely bike paths, because I will be making every effort from now on to use them and avoid busier roads, especially ones with fast traffic - even if there is a bike lane.
I have some spectacular bruises, but I wasn't seriously hurt, and I enjoyed the rest of the ride. The bike worked fine - but I need to have the squeak looked at!
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