Yet Another Post About Bicycling

It's all Hubby Tony's fault (but that's not bad).

We're both trying to practice healthy lifestyles. Some times its easier than others, but often when one of us doesn't want to exercise the other does, and we guilt the other into joining in. On Friday we went out to dinner, and a half hour after we got home I announced we were going to take a walk.  We did.

Saturday after breakfast Tony declared it was a good day to ride our bikes.  I figured it wouldn't be polite to back out; besides it WAS a good day.  Last weekend's record-setting heat had left in the middle of the week, and the temperature was open-up-the-windows nice. Instead of riding through the nearby subdivisions, Tony decided we wanted to ride on a trail, and remembered that last fall Son Tony and I had walked on a part of the Meramec Greenway close to our house.  He suggested we try biking it.

Tony was in charge of loading up the bikes.  We used to have a carrier that attached to the back of his car and fit both bikes nicely, but last year he got a new bike with a larger frame and now that's not possible.  However, with a little effort they'll both fit in the back of my CR-V. While Tony was doing that I grabbed some snacks. We headed out a little before 10.

The ride was great fun.  This trail follows the Meramec River. It's in the flood plain, so its nice and flat! Most of the trail winds through the trees, so it was nice and shady.  The section we took is 3.3 miles, with a couple of spurs branching off. On the first half of the trip we veered off on one of them to use a restroom, and on the way back took that spur all the way to the end. Rounding everything off, we biked between 8 1/2 and 9 miles.  When we got done we sat at a picnic table next to the river and ate our snacks, then headed home.

As we were pulling into the garage Tony asked what the chances were I'd want to ride again today.  When I said yes, he left the bikes in my car, and we used his for the rest of the day.  This morning after breakfast we set out again, heading towards another trailhead for the Greenway.

There's several parks in the flood plain along the Meramec that are only nominally developed. Unger Park, where our trailhead was, is one of them. It's on the other side of the river from yesterday's adventure, tucked away off Interstate 44 behind the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park. We followed the signs to the park entrance, then drove to the first lot and parked.

We biked from Unger Park to George Winter Park (another county park), a distance of about five miles. Once again, the trail was flat, mainly shaded, and quiet. A couple of times we rode on the street, with a golf course on one side, and for part of the trip we were in a municipal park.  When we got to the end we made a loop through part of George Winter Park, stopping at a boat ramp to look at the river, then headed back. This time there were more people on the trail (especially though the park). When we arrived back at Unger, we rode to the back of the park, then doubled back. I was REALLY happy to see the car!

When we got home we ate lunch, then I read the newspaper, did some laundry, and took a nap.  Now, several hours later I can tell I'm going to have sore muscles in various parts of my body.

Tony's already planning the next biking adventure...I suspect I'll be joining him!