I would not have considered myself a cyclist until about two years ago. Now I cannot live without my bike, which I take on several rides per week with Linda and Tony, and use to run errands whenever I can.

The thing I don’t usually do is ride with Dan, who usually prefers solo mountain bike rides, and whose work schedule keeps him from my regular morning rides.

This week, Dan is on vacation. (We were supposed to be driving across the country to visit our families in Cincinnati, but… pandemic.) That gave us a chance to take on an adventure we’d been discussing for a while: to ride out to the neighboring town of Loveland, get lunch, and ride back.

Dan the Amazing put a map together, totaling about 30 miles. The longest I had previously ridden was 25 (with, surprise, the incredible Linda and Tony!).

Dan’s route was fantastic. Instead of biking from home, he had us drive out to a trailhead a few miles out so that we could skip the paths that we both ride almost daily. He also included a lovely side trip to Boyd Lake State Park.

We stopped for hot dogs and cheeseburgers in Loveland.

The weather was gorgeous — hot but with a breeze, sunny but with fat, puffy clouds to keep it mildly overcast. My lily white complexion really counts on those clouds.

Here’s a little personality test for you. You arrive at your car after what is supposed to be a 30-mile ride. You are exhausted and dehydrated. However, your map reads 29.3 miles. Do you: a) say “Oh well! So close,” and call it a day, or b) furrow your brow and shout, “Get back on your bike!”

If you chose “a,” you are a Daniel. If you went with “b,” then you chose the only correct answer. 😀 We absolutely hit 30 miles today.