Life is about using the whole box of crayons

When I was apartment shopping this past fall for my move to Dubuque, those helping me figured it would be pretty easy - I am single, no kids, and no pets.  But there was one exception - I have three bikes they need a home as much as I did.  And when I mentioned this I was always greeted with the same question "Why do you need all three?"

When I started biking I quickly learned that each bike had a different style of riding and by getting a different one for each style, you would enjoy the ride more.  Tessie is the eldest of the group and my mountain bike that I bought when I lived in Anchorage.  She enjoys to kick some dirt up the skirt on single track trails and splashing through the mud on rainy days.  Tessa is my lean and mean road bike who loves the feeling of wind in her gears and tends to be a little more cleaner than the other girls.  And then their is Ally the Townie who loves to spend her time cursing the streets of any town while running errands or picking up groceries in her lauded back style.  Both Ally and Tessa were born at Wayne's Ski and Cycle in Mason City, IA.  Each of them can go days, weeks or months without being used because one of their "sisters" is the favorite at that time.  But they never hold it against each other and are always ready to roll. 

But sometimes they all get to go out and play, like this weekend.  I was able to go for a ride on all three of my bikes in the span of 24 hours.  It started with an off-road ride with the Happy Hip Chicks on Saturday on the Heritage Trail.  Then a quick morning ride on Sunday to HyVee to pick up the paper and groceries for the week and was followed by a ride with The Flat Iowa Society through the streets of Dubuque.

Although each of these rides where different, so much of them were the same.  You still needed to peddle  hard, drinks lots of water, and watch the road.

On my Saturday ride, it was with Gayle and Sherry and was filled with sunshine, cool temperatures and lots of girl talk.  It also involved getting some dirt up the skirt, some dust on the sunglasses and a poor little chipmunk who should have gone left instead of right.

 

Sherry and I on our Heritage Trail Ride with Gayle taking the picture!

My solo ride to the grocery store is one that I try to take at least weekly.  I love being so close to HyVee and being able to bike there, although I am not a fan of their sad looking bike rack.  There is always junk in front of it and you can only use it to lock up your front tire vs locking your tire and frame since quick-releases make stealing a frame a lot easier.  But regardless, I love being able to take a quick spin down the road and come back with the paper among other items for the week.  It also helps me to only buy what I really need and what tends to be a little lighter as I have to haul all of it home in my pannier.  But more importantly, it gives me time to think and to just be on the road dressed only in comfy pants, flip flops and a tshirt while I gave my bike shorts and jerseys some time off.  This is the ride that reminds me the most of being a kid who felt she could go ANYWHERE as long as she had her bike.

 See that small metal stand between the red chair and the hose?  That's HyVee's bike rack....

Finally, I was able to go on a longer ride this Sunday with Eric and Chris, my fellow co-founders of the Flat Iowa Society Bike Club.  We were able to bike along on various roads and trails here in Dubuque.  We went out to the pond at Heritage Trail, rolled by John Deere, and climbed up to Eagle Point Park before coming back to sea level by the lock and dam.  We then went down by the river and out to the casinos and back downtown.  We took a pit stop at Paul's Taveran for a beer and a burger before heading back up Arterial Trail (the burger was NOT helpful on this climb) before turning back to Eric's house where we had started.  I had a great time seeing Dubuque in ways I hadn't yet and having my first Paul's burger and a "scoop" of beer.

 Eric, myself, and Chris on a great Flat Iowa Society ride around Dubuque

Each of my rides this weekend involved a different bike, different types of company, and different roads - but had one major thing in common, they all had a great view from my handlebars.