So we talk a lot about the gaming we do, and the various experiences we get into as girl gamers in the various environments we have fun in. I have never really talked about the other things I do though with my free time, other than gaming. I though that, and I can thank a friend of mine for the idea, I would talk about some other hobbies and things I do in my free time. Specifically I like to cycle, I use a road bike myself, and use it as a means of entertainment, as well as a means to exercise to keep my heart going.
My bike…and cat, photobomb much?
So I will write a sort of cycling log, about some of the bike rides I have done this summer, as well as previously, and some of the cool places I got to experience because of it. There are a few good road trails in my general area, the closest one to where I live now being the Fish Lake Trail and the one I ride the most often. Also in the area is the Centennial trail that runs from the western side of Spokane, WA all the way to Idaho, and it is a pretty long ride. Those are the two main trails I have run on, as well as some other rides all throughout Spokane on the various back roads.
Fish Lake Trail
The Fish Lake Trail is really quite lovely, it starts on one end in Cheney, WA, and goes all the way out to Spokane, WA. If you take the trail all the way to Spokane and then back, its a round trip total of thirty three miles, and when I did that good god were my legs sore afterwards. It really is a lovely trail though, it drives along a back road called Cheney-Spokane Rd, along side the Fish Lake for which it is named. The lake itself is not terribly huge, but it is quite lovely, with a nice vista behind some lakeside houses.
The trail itself was an old rail line that had been taken down, and repaved for use as a park, for walking, jogging, cycling, and yes even horseback riding. Mostly you only see joggers, cyclist, and roller-bladers there though as many just use it as a nice place to enjoy good exercise like I do. It runs in a valley where the old rail line used to be, with a small creek running on either side of it. On a nice warm day it gets a lot of shade, which means it is the perfect area for a good ride. I enjoy it thoroughly and its proximity to my apartment makes it a lot of fun to run down, and you get the most lovely views at the same time.
Centennial Trail
I have only run this trail the once, mainly because it doesn’t go all the way out to where I live like the Fish Lake one does. This one is far longer and was actually designed as a park instead of a re-purposed old rail line. It starts in 9-mile outside of Spokane and runs all the way through the upper end of Idaho, so it is quite the doozey if you run the whole thing. It runs along the Spokane river, and across it at many points, so you get a lot of lovely views and the smell of running water is really soothing.
I ran this one once with my father, and it was just gorgeous, I would love to run it again for a much longer ride. The views rock, its open and easy to see other people on the trail, and there are a bunch of side trails that branch off in other directions. It is a great park, and there are many spots along it you could really have a lovely picnic.
Commuting
My craziest ride though was back when I lived in Spokane Valley, WA, and was using my bike to commute a lot more than just for entertainment. I had missed the bus by 10 seconds and decided I was going to chase it down and see if I could make it. I never actually caught the bus, but I was on its tail the whole way home of 10 miles of riding. All in all I averaged 16 MPH on the trip back home, and it was possibly the best workout of my life. This was along a fairly busy road too so I had to be careful on the side of the road because the drivers there can be a bit of a butt sometimes. Good god was I tired when I got home, but my legs felt pretty rocking.
I enjoy cycling a lot though, as a means of exercise, as a challenge against myself, and in general because it takes me places I would have otherwise not driven or walked had I not been out leisurely riding. You really get to experience whole new things while out on the bike, meet new people who are out doing the same thing, and also good god to I sleep better the more in shape I am. I am happy I started cycling, and I hope to keep doing more rides and maybe even longer ones if I can.
I know, not my normal post but my friend suggested it and I thought, hey why not. This is something I am passionate about and enjoy doing, and why not talk about that with others. Hell if I gain a few biking converts, maybe we can talk about our experiences and have some fun with it right?
This is ERW signing off.