Wendy came up from Texas to visit at Summer's house, so I met them and our parents so we could all visit together. On the last day of my visit Wendy and I decided to go on a bike ride...you know, quality Sister Time. Summer asked if we wanted to pack a picnic but we said no because we'd be back in time for lunch and to put little Heidi down for her nap. We left the house around 10:40am.
It felt good to be outside and get some exercise. We rode for about two hours until we had to stop for a potty break for Heidi. We talked about if we should turn back, but it seemed like the time had gone by fast, and it might not be that far if we just kept going and followed what seemed to be a big loop. It would be more fun to follow the loop than to go back the way we came. So we kept going.
Eventually we stopped at a house to see if we could get some more water. I was looking around to see if anybody was outside when a friendly looking guy pulled up on a dirt bike. He told us where we could get some water and then said, "You wouldn't happen to be Summer's sister would you?" The guy was a friend of Summer and Glen's that I met on a visit earlier this summer. Wendy thought it was so funny that way out on this dirt country road, someone would recognize me as Summer's sister.
Around 1pm we decided to call Summer for help. We were hungry and Heidi was being a good sport, but we felt bad having her ride in the bike trailer for so long. It looked like our loop was a lot bigger than we first thought, and we couldn't decide if it would be better to turn around or keep going forward. Summer brought us food and took Heidi home, and we kept riding. (There wasn't enough room in the car for everybody and the bikes and trailer.) She went home in the direction we were headed so she could call us back and say what was coming ahead. We followed the loop forward 12 miles back into the main part of La Grande.
We got home around 5pm, sweaty and exhausted. We had gone from one end of the valley to the other.
It was actually a nice ride and we got to see a lot of pretty country roads and fields...but maybe next time we'll plan a little better. I'd love to do it again with my own bike that fits me better, some food and maybe a little sunscreen.
6 comments:
Wow, that looks like a VERY long ride. It's cool you could map it so we can see just where you went. I'd like to do about 1/2 that distance on a cool, cloudy day...or a cold, sunny one! : )
WOW! that is one LONG ride! Did you feel sore the next day?
This will be a marker in your history: "That's the year we did the big bike ride." Always helps to have markers like that.
Mostly just my neck/shoulders were sore because I was riding Glen's bike and it wasn't a good fit for me...I just didn't think to bring my bike when I was packing for the trip.
Did you get fried?! Yowzers...that is one long ride. You Bennett girls are recognizable as sisters from anywhere- I'm not surprised he recognized you- you don't come across such beauty every day!!
That is great, Holly! I love the maps for our ride. You did a good job telling the story!! I'm glad we went on the ride. I'm surprised we weren't more sore.
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