I bought a bike when we first moved to Portland. This is a very bike-friendly city, and I didn’t want to rely on our car as much as I did in Indianapolis. The first bike I bought was a 1974 Schwinn Suburban, and it’s a beast. I feel like that bike weighs about as much as I do. Carting it up and down the basement steps, or even trying to ride it up a steep hill is ridiculous.
I checked out various bike stores, and rode a few bikes to try them out. I felt like an idiot because I hadn’t really ridden a bike in a good two years. Did I want to be the grown woman wobbling on a bike in front of a shop full of pro cyclists? No. Was I? Of course.
I said a little prayer when I hopped on that first bike that I wouldn’t just fall straight over into the street, and I managed to pedal away without too much embarrassment. I didn’t think anyone was around when I flipped the bike into a low gear that I couldn’t get it out of. Lucky for me, there was a car full of people waiting to pass me! Yaaay! I pulled over and made the “what-is-wrong-with-this-bike-sure-I-know-what-I’m-doing-please-dear-God-don’t-stop” smile at them while my face turned bright pink. I went home empty-handed that day.
I gave up on finding a bike I liked until one popped up on Craigslist. I took it for a (wobbly) ride and brought it home with me. The next day Rob and I headed out to the bike trail that I’d been eyeing all summer- Banks – Vernonia. It was just what I needed to get used to two wheels again!
It was the most perfect fall weather for our ride, and the trail was smooth, relatively empty, and an easy ride. The entire trail route is 21 miles long, but we only did about 11 miles. My butt was sore from that bike seat for daaaays, but it was completely worth it.
I’m still trying to convince Rob to buy me this farm that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.
The trail passes thru mostly forest, but there are lovely stretches of fields and farms. I would go back in a heartbeat, and I’m looking forward to the next clear day when we can sneak away again.
And just as a teaser…. here’s something else that I’ll get to share more about soon!
