Oh How I've Missed You Bike

I finally got back on my bike today for a nice mid-morning ride. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, not too cold. Just perfect! It's been a little while since i've been on my bike, so it was good to get back out there as well. The hubby and I just had a nice big get together with a bunch of our friends this past weekend to welcome them to our new place. The party went well, but with all the planning, cleaning, and food prep, I didn't take the time to get out for a ride in the last week or so.

So today I changed that and got in a nice 22 mile ride. This route was pretty flat today, so I was able to get my average speed up to about 15 mph. I had to map my ride using mapmyride.com after the fact, since my smart phone is currently with Samsung being repaired. So that means no fancy apps for me to keep track of my rides right now :( Oh well. What ever did I do before I had a smart phone?

The ride was pretty uneventful today, which is a good thing because I have been held up too many times recently by flat tires. I passed through farmland, like usual up here. I believe I passed a whole range of farm life; I saw horses, cows, donkeys, and even a mini horse.

I actually took a few photos during the ride today using my crappy old camera phone, however, I can't seem to find my memory card reader, so I can't pull the them off the phone yet. Maybe I'll update the post later once I located the reader.

**UPDATE**

I was finally able to find a memory card reader and get those photos off my phone. So, without further ado, here are some shots I got while out on my bike yesterday.

As I mentioned earlier, it was a gorgeous day out. My first pit stop was at a little plaza called The Grove. I'd only driven past it once before. There is a little pizza place here I may need to come back and check out. There is also a burger joint just down the block that may need some trying out as well. I love exploring the new town, especially on bike. You have more time to see what is around when you aren't flying by in a car.



My turn around point was the little town of Cotati. I liked the rustic feel of the town sign so I had to stop and get a photo. Also, they are apparently the Hub of Sonoma County. Who knew?

I just love the landscape around here. Petaluma itself is a pretty flat area, but the hills in the distance make for gorgeous views.

I am apparently attracted to rustic things recently. The sign on this structure caught my eye when I passed it heading to Cotati so I made sure to stop on my way back. I was riding on Old Redwood Highway, so that is where the 'EDWOOD HWY' comes in to play. I wish my phone could have gotten a little bit of a better photo. The sun wasn't helping either; I had to get to a position where the sun wouldn't completely blare out the shot.  

Under the structure were a bunch of tractors, which always remind me of my dad (well, that and the smell of engine grease). Check out the tires on that!

After my ride I decided it was time to get the ol' helmet  a good cleaning. I ended up cleaning both mine and the hubby's while I was at it. Its surprisingly easy to clean them. You just fill up your sink with some dish soap and water and then scrub them gently with an old tooth brush (or if you are like me and have a dental hygienist in the family you have a bunch of brand new tooth brushes just sitting around, waiting to scrub something).