First Ride

 

   Now that the sun is out and it hasn't rained for awhile, C and I decided that it was time to bike the Cannon Valley trail. We got up early this morning and prepared to go. I filled our water bottles and a couple of small plastic bags with snacks. C checked our bikes and tires. He lubricated the chains and  put more air in the tires. We made a couple of breakfast smoothies, put on our riding gear and headed out. 

   We we both excited to ride again. The April cold and snow meant that we couldn't get our bikes out as early as we had last year.  C was particularly anxious to ride. He has been working our at a local gym and was eager for some outdoor exercise. 

    When we got to the halfway point at Welch, the spot we start out at, we noticed that there were not as many cars in the parking lot as we expected. We were pleased about that. The trail is pretty popular and can be rather crowded especially on the first nice Saturday of the year. C parked the car and got the bikes off the rack. I put our water bottles on the holders on our bikes. C's bike has a spot for his bike lock and a small tire pump, I put those items both in their holders. 

   After a bit of stretching, we got on out bikes and rode off. We decided to ride toward Cannon Falls. The trail is a bit easier with no large hills, just a small incline. I noticed that there were a lot of downed trees and that the river seemed pretty high. The river water is very cold right now. In a month or so when it gets warmer there will be people canoeing, kayaking and tubing down the river. Birds were singing cheerful songs as we rode the trail.  

   We made one stop to get off out bikes for a bit. This was our first ride of the year and our backsides have to get used to the seats again. Once in awhile other bikers would pass us as they rode the opposite direction from us. I think only two people passed us from behind.

   We got to Cannon Falls and decided to take a break. There is a local coffee/ice cream/cheese shop that we like. We both got something to drink and sat outside to drink it. It was nice to be outside. We watched a couple of boys eating ice cream outside and several people go into the coffee shop. 

   C wanted to eat lunch at Bev's Café in Red Wing so we had to get back on the trail. There were a few more people on the trail so for much of the time I rode behind C.  We stopped briefly so I could turn my ballcap around. We were riding against the wind and I worried that my cap was going to go flying off. The longer we rode the more I noticed that I was starting to feel pretty sore. I would have called for another break, but Bev's is only open until 2 pm and we had no time to waste. C rode faster and faster as he was anxious to get to the café. I rode as fast as I could to keep up with him.

   Finally we got to the Welch halfway point where our car was.  I climbed off my bike with relief as I was really sore. The first ride is always the worst. After a quick bathroom break. C loaded the bikes back onto the car and we were on our way.

   We got to Bev's before it closed. We each had our usual order. C had a club sandwich. I had a taco omelet. We hadn't been there since last fall. The food tasted very good. It was the perfect end to our first ride of the season.