No Ice Cream For You!

This morning Hubby Tony and I put the bikes in the car and drove to an organized bike ride in Edwardsville, Illinois. The ride had four options (14 miles, 23 miles, 41 miles, and 50 miles).  They all started at the same place and ended up at an ice cream store.

Right after we checked in, a man standing next to the table asked if we would like to join a group that was riding together. Tony and I had planned on doing the 14 mile route.  This group was riding 23 miles, but we agreed. It's always nice to meet new people.  After everyone was ready we headed out.  Eventually some of the group decided they wanted to go faster and left, but Bill, the organizer, was nice enough to stay with me and Tony the entire way.  

Most of the ride was on nice, flat reclaimed rail lines.  The street riding in between the trails was on safe quiet streets. There were only a couple of hills, and they were doable. It should have been a very easy ride.  However, last night a strong storm had come through the area, and the trails were scattered with tree debris.  We had to dodge several large branches dangling over the trail, and carry our bikes over a pile of greenery that completely covered it.

However, very close to the end of the ride we came upon a pile of branches over the trail that was about three feet tall.  We stopped and looked at it, looked at each other, then decided to turn back.  Bill was familiar with the area, and told us about a different ice cream store we could drive to.  We thanked him for the information, but instead, on the way home we stopped at a cafe/donut store for lunch and a different kind of sweet.

Five years ago today: Don't Worry