Springing Forward
Pedaling, too!
Today is the first day of daylight saving time. Can I get a hallelujah? Daylight savings is one of those things that’s rather distasteful, but hard to stay mad at. I love the extra light at the end of the day; I just wish we didn’t have to lose an hour to get here. It’s kind of like enjoying the fact that you’re getting tax return. It feels so goooood, but for all the wrong reasons.
First, I need to acknowledge that the Freewheeling blog has been very quiet lately. That’s because it’s been winter time in Colorado. Neither bike riding nor camping were happening. Very sad.
But hope is now on the horizon. With this extra hour of daylight and little bulb plants peeking out, spring is springing. And with it will come straying farther from home and plenty of adventures. I am happy to say that planning season for camping went quite well and we have a lot to look forward to. Another thing that went well is that I challenged myself to exercise 5-6 days a week all winter so that I, too, would be primed for adventure. I’m feeling ready!
Most of the winter workouts were spent on the spin bike indoors or doing some strength training and stretching, but we had a rather mild February and did manage to get out a few times on the local trails. With Penny along for the ride, of course.
Today’s ride took us east, which we rarely do. I’ve been eager to ride from our home to the town of Erie, which lies just northeast. We waited a little late in the day to head out, so we decided not to do anything too strenuous or have any expectations. I highly recommend this tactic, by the way, because when you’re expectations are low it’s easy to exceed them.
We took the Coal Creek Trail to the east and just before we were about to turn around to head back, we saw on the hill in front of us one of our favorite hangout spots called Acreage. It’s a hard cider joint that, given its hilltop location, commands a truly stunning view of the Front Range. (That’s what we locals call the strip of Rocky Mountains to the west.)
Because it’s a 65 degree sunny day in March, many others also had the idea to make the pilgrimage to this amazing spot. Those of us on bikes were definitely in the minority, though, which made finding bike parking up front very easy. It also made it easy to feel like we “earned” a cider because we conquered the very formidable hill.
We found a perfect spot at a picnic table on Acreage’s vast lawn and sat down with a couple ice cold ciders. We don’t normally ride somewhere for a reward, but I have to say this was a really welcome treat. Penny busied herself on the mulch and watched kids play corn hole while we enjoyed our drinks.
It was only an 8.5 mile out-and-back, but it was just right on this pre-spring day that felt like an actual spring day. I, for one, am very much looking forward to more of these perfect days.
The route:
Song for the mood: