My bike

I love my bicycle. Together, we are a fat burning, heart pumping, ecofriendly team.

Today, this fair-weather bicycle team was out for the first time in 2010.

"For as long as Earth lasts,
planting and harvest, cold and heat,
Summer and winter, day and night
will never stop."

Genesis 8:22

Spring is coming!

Our home (Winnipeg) to Lockport, 23.8 km.
Average speed: 18 km per hour

Time in the saddle: 1 1/2 hours

We DID let a little rain stop us today.

Minnesota Bike Trip

Greetings from Minnesota

This post comes to you from the C'mon Inn of Park Rapids.

We've been here for a couple of days, enjoying the beautiful bike trails of Minnesota. Yesterday, we biked 18 km in Itasca State Park. It was only 18 because the day before, we biked 100 km which was stupid. We were feeling good and thought we'd go to the next town. We weren't thinking about the return trip. That was kind of stupid. Today, we'll try for about 50 km and see if our butts can handle it.

The weather is gorgeous, the biking trails are lovely, and the people are friendly. Everytime we pass people on a bike trail, they say hi.

We are trying to decide if we prefer biking on flat or hilly terrain. Going up the hills can be challenging but there is always the reward of coasting down. On flat terrain, you never get a break. You're always pedalling. We'll have to do a little more biking in order to discover what we like best. I do know that I prefer beautiful vistas and scenery. Today, we're off to Cass Lake because I have it on good authority that it is a lovely area to bike around. Stay tuned for pictures!

I have been home for 2 weeks and while I have felt a desire to post something, I hardly know where to start.

How do you write about something that was better than you expected, something that changed you in ways you can't even express? How do you describe the pain you felt, in your butt, in your heart, in your mind, biking up yet another hill, wondering if you could make it?

Or the moment of absolute panic when you see your husband just ahead of you, flying through the air like a (very large) bird, over his handlebars and landing smack on his chest? (There's no picture of that because it all happened so quickly. Fortunately, he was fine and got back on his bike after about 15 minutes.)

This was what he had to show for it a few days later.

Words cannot express the experience of sitting in the shade of a 12th century castle, looking over a gorgeous valley, eating a picnic lunch supplied by villagers all over the age of 70.

How can you describe the Colleseum, the Forum and the Pantheon?

What can you say when you walk on streets worn by the footsteps of millions of people and wonder if the apostles Peter and Paul walked on the same roads?

Or celebrating your 28th anniversary by enjoying an exquisite glass of Italian wine in a lovely courtyard? How do you talk about the 8 people, who you will likely never meet again, who were your constant companions, best friends and all around amazing people?

I find that words really cannot describe it all.