Warning- Contagious!

Okay, i've decided that biking is terribly contagious!!
I went up north with my mom, her cycling buddy, and my non-cycling roomie this past weekend. My roomie borrowed my stepdad's new road bike (which fit her surprisingly well!) and my extra shorts (not commando :p) for what was going to be a nice, flat 40-mile ride for lunch and ice cream.

Well, we got to the cute little town where we were going to have lunch and decided to head farther north to the next cute little town (after splitting chicken salad sandwhiches among the four of us :))... some people told us that it was just 7 more miles up the road (we had gone about 19).

11 miles and several large hills later, we're snarfing down ice cream sundaes in Northport, MI. We check out a map and notice that there's a lighthouse (MI is famous for it's lighthouses :D) about 5 miles farther down the road.

so the scale was a little off... it was more like 8-miles. but roomie is holding in there, and even keeping up at an avg speed of 15 mph (i was so proud! the most she'd ever done was 20 on a hybrid on a rail trail, and here she was chugging along on a road bike on some substantial hills!)

and then we head back... it was *much* hilly-er going back, but roomie is hanging with my mom's cycling buddy (my mom and i lost them about 5 miles back). we all roll into the first "cute little town" (Leland, MI) within 10 minutes of each other and devour some trail mix (mmm, cherry-nut mix). roomie informs me that she 1) thought she was going to die and 2) was determined that she wouldn't die before killing me for dragging her out there :D

*but* roomie and I meander the last 20-miles home (bringing our milage to a grand total of 80-miles, doubling our original plan!) while mom and buddy bolt ahead (i belted out 100 bottles of beer on the wall among other obnoxious favorites... i think it spurred her on-- to catch me and strangle me :p) and over dinner (PASTA!!) roomie informs me that she wants to get a road bike so she can ride with me during the year!!!! YAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!! Another Girl on a Bike!!!!!!!

after some calculations, she figures she'll buy the shoes and helmet, i'll give her the shorts she borrowed, and her parents will chip in for the bike for her birthday this august... now just to fit it in our dorm room..... (this would bring the grand total to four bikes in an 11 ft by 16 ft room... plus beds, desks, chair, mini fridge, microwave, and sink)

and this is why biking is contagious :D yesssss

gulp...an 80 mile unplanned ride? I am impressed ...and scared. Remember me saying we should ride together up north? Now I have second thoughts!

Barb....
I'm the "mom" in that story! I can now add yet another reason why Michigan is my favorite state!...AWESOME bike friendly roads.

If you are up around Traverse over the 4th, i am always looking for someone to put more miles on my bike with. :D

The 80 miles melted away while biking on MI awesome road sholders and checking out the scenery. (ok, maybe they melted on the way back because we were all so burnt out!).

What an awesome weekend we had riding Michigan's beautiful roads! I think a grand total of 122 miles in 3 days. And a big slice of heaven!
gretchen

Gretchen

I'll be in Mackinaw (about an hour drive) from Traverse over the 4th. Maybe we could get together for a day. I'm heading up this Friday to do a little tour on Saturday. It will be my first real ride on my new road bike, I am sooo geeked! I've only put 15 miles on her, but oh does she fly. I am actually looking forward to finding out how she feels on hills! This bike is about 10 lbs. lighter than my comfort bike, so hills should feel a bit better. I'll write all about my ride when I get back on Monday.

Barb - Have an awesome time riding! How exciting to be out on your new bike. Hey, what kind is it?
Let me know how the ride went! Wouldn't it be fun to find a few other women to gather somewhere up north around the 4th to do a ride?!!:D
Will you be staying right on Mac? Would you be willing to travel off and we could all (asumming we can find some others!) meet up around that area?
Fly on your new bike!!!!
No better feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D
gretchen
ps...i'll post a new thread for other Michiganders