The Bicycle Diaries

It's amazing how much more time I've had to ride my bike this summer since not having a boyfriend!  Every outing on the bike is a delight and a revelation, an uber-feast for the senses and a journey of discovery about the stuff my inner stuffing is made of. 

Typical pre-ride prep

A few highlights, in pictures.

First there was the 20-mile Peach Tree loop in Maryland.  (We never did figure out why it's called that.)  That's me in the Hello Kitty jersey in the top photo.  Check out how long my hair is!

Then I road the Indian Head Rail Trail in Southern Maryland--truly a gem of a trail.  Flat, scenic, nearly deserted, 26 miles round-trip.

In July I was part of a brutal group ride from College Park, MD, to Annapolis, MD, and back on one of the hottest days of the year, when the heat index went over 90 degrees F.  (That's into the 30s for you Europeans.)  The untested route was meant to be 63 miles but with all the wrong turns and retracing of steps, we actually rode 72 miles.  When we finally arrived back at the starting point, one guy exclaimed, "I've never been so happy to see this car in my life!"  Amen, dude!  We did have some pretty glimpses of the water, and we passed by the entrance to the US Naval Academy (bottom right).

Last but not least was a terrific 44-mile ride from Annapolis up to Baltimore, around the Baltimore airport, and back to Annapolis. We had a fantastic view from atop a hill behind the airport of the terminals and all the planes taking off and landing.

As you can see, this girl was born to ride.