Biking, Plotting, and Scheming
Apr. 30th, 2006 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterYesterday morning, M, T, C, and I went on a splendid 27-mile bike ride tour of the wealthy neighborhoods in Scottsdale. After I got home, I sat around for a bit and then went to Flugtag, which was held down at Tempe Town Lake. I was going to update on these adventures yesterday, but after spending most of the day in the sun, it was all I could do to crawl in bed for a while. I tried to stay hydrated early on, but the folks organizing Flugtag wouldn't allow us to bring in our own water (the usual concert rules being in effect), and there was absolutely no shade.
For a while, I also wasn't sure if it was just a headache or if I was coming down with the flu that my advisor has. I called and canceled my plans for the evening, but after a nice 4-hour nap, I started feeling a bit more normal.
Anyway, M said he was very proud of me for going on a bike ride with no particular destination in mind. He's an avid biker, although he says he avoids bike clubs and such because, according to him, those people are a bit too preoccupied with their gear. Of course, I was the least prepared of the four of us, on my sweet, sweet mountain bike with its one big fat tire and one semi-skinny tire (I'm transitioning to more road-friendly tires, seeing as I basically never take it off-road, except when on long, 25-mile bike rides to coffeeshops in downtown Phoenix). Everybody else had on their biker kit and they were all on road bikes. But oh well. I am planning on saving up for a road bike, but it's going to be a while before I get one because I'm currently saving up for other things. Or I might just see if I can have one of the bikes that belongs to my mother that is languishing in the bike shed in Seattle to tune up and all that jazz. We shall see...
As we biked home, I realized that I haven't done my homework on all of the coffeeshop bike rides I want to go on, so I just spent about an hour figuring out where a whole bunch of coffeeshops are located in the Greater Phoenix MetroSuburban Area. In a moment of genius, it occurred to me to draw them in on my Phoenix Area Bike Map! The tragic part is that the vast majority of the places I found were either chains or about 20 miles away. However, there were a couple of places that were a bit closer than I'd thought, so I should have some fun destinations for at least the next little while (yay!). It's starting to actually get hot, though, which also limits my mobility. BUT the semester's basically over for me, so I have more free time. So many trade-offs...
Now it's time for me to look into a couple of Arizona bike club websites; many of them post rides that have bakeries or other such places along the ride. Of course, they might not be quite up to my standards (i.e. non-chain stores), but they're a starting point at least.
For a while, I also wasn't sure if it was just a headache or if I was coming down with the flu that my advisor has. I called and canceled my plans for the evening, but after a nice 4-hour nap, I started feeling a bit more normal.
Anyway, M said he was very proud of me for going on a bike ride with no particular destination in mind. He's an avid biker, although he says he avoids bike clubs and such because, according to him, those people are a bit too preoccupied with their gear. Of course, I was the least prepared of the four of us, on my sweet, sweet mountain bike with its one big fat tire and one semi-skinny tire (I'm transitioning to more road-friendly tires, seeing as I basically never take it off-road, except when on long, 25-mile bike rides to coffeeshops in downtown Phoenix). Everybody else had on their biker kit and they were all on road bikes. But oh well. I am planning on saving up for a road bike, but it's going to be a while before I get one because I'm currently saving up for other things. Or I might just see if I can have one of the bikes that belongs to my mother that is languishing in the bike shed in Seattle to tune up and all that jazz. We shall see...
As we biked home, I realized that I haven't done my homework on all of the coffeeshop bike rides I want to go on, so I just spent about an hour figuring out where a whole bunch of coffeeshops are located in the Greater Phoenix MetroSuburban Area. In a moment of genius, it occurred to me to draw them in on my Phoenix Area Bike Map! The tragic part is that the vast majority of the places I found were either chains or about 20 miles away. However, there were a couple of places that were a bit closer than I'd thought, so I should have some fun destinations for at least the next little while (yay!). It's starting to actually get hot, though, which also limits my mobility. BUT the semester's basically over for me, so I have more free time. So many trade-offs...
Now it's time for me to look into a couple of Arizona bike club websites; many of them post rides that have bakeries or other such places along the ride. Of course, they might not be quite up to my standards (i.e. non-chain stores), but they're a starting point at least.
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Road biking
Date: 2006-05-01 03:25 pm (UTC)Re: Road biking
Date: 2006-05-01 04:13 pm (UTC)I have been thinking about looking through Craigslist, but I don't quite have the time/energy yet. Soon... :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 01:39 am (UTC)I did the same thing on one of mine... turned it into a road type thing with 1.5" wide tires. It slides much more easily over pavement that way.
But if you're gonna go road bike, you shoudl save up for a recumbent... they're just so much more fun. :) Easier on the hands, too. (No tinglies after long rides)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 04:05 pm (UTC)