Home bike rides you'll miss

[shootingstar]

When you go far away from home for a few wks./months, do you have a particular favourite local bike route that you do that you know you will miss/be glad to do it again after you return home from visiting/vacationing?

I do have a favourite bike route here in Vancouver with several mini-variations, depending how I feel/weather. It is a route that I remember/dream about if I'm vacationing for several wks. somewhere else far...usually outside of the province.

I'll be going back to Ontario in a few days to visit family and friends. Do some cycling there too since I used to cycle and live there for over 9 yrs. But Ontario doesn't have ocean, mountain views nor the faint smell of ocean, no matter where I go to visit there.

However reverse is true also for a certain regular ride route in Toronto that I loved doing, particularily in autumn with the fiery reddish leaf colour. It stays deep in my cycling memory of past and present homes.

[Owlie]

I sometimes wish I'd taken up cycling while I was still living at home...my neighborhood is an excellent workout (lots of hills), and we have well-maintained bike trail that goes through a state park and runs alongside the Little Miami River. There are several small towns that it runs through, and it wasn't a long drive from my house. It's beautiful in October when the leaves change. It doesn't have the color variety that areas further north do (it's mostly yellow-orange or brown), but it would be a nice ride nonetheless.

BF is from the Phoenix area, and I know he misses a few of his routes. The first time I visited him, he drove me along the route of his first road ride that he did with his Boy Scout troop. I told him I thought he was crazy. This was before I got bitten by the cycling bug. I still think he's crazy, just not for that reason!

[shootingstar]

I sometimes wish I'd taken up cycling while I was still living at home...my neighborhood is an excellent workout (lots of hills), and we have well-maintained bike trail that goes through a state park and runs alongside the Little Miami River. There are several small towns that it runs through, and it wasn't a long drive from my house. It's beautiful in October when the leaves change. It doesn't have the color variety that areas further north do (it's mostly yellow-orange or brown), but it would be a nice ride nonetheless.

BF is from the Phoenix area, and I know he misses a few of his routes. The first time I visited him, he drove me along the route of his first road ride that he did with his Boy Scout troop. I told him I thought he was crazy. This was before I got bitten by the cycling bug. I still think he's crazy, just not for that reason!

It certainly is tougher to persuade someone of a lovely bike route if one is seeing for lst time in a car!

Like you, I returned to cycling later (well, alot later than you) in a different city. I did wonder what the experience would be like in the original city/area as an adult, where I grew up (and did bike as a teen, but limited to near home).

So several yrs. after cycling bug bit me, we went on our own self-made bike tour trip through Mennonite countryside, etc. I deliberately chose that we cycle in the fall and it was gorgeous and better particularily on bike. Except I hadn't anticipated transport trucks on a certain stretch of highway. Or how much of the farmland that I remembered as a late teen, was overtaken by shopping mall, surburban development.

Still..we did the wooden covered bridges, etc. It was revisiting an area I had forgotten abit but from the perspective of bike saddle.

[Owlie]

It certainly is tougher to persuade someone of a lovely bike route if one is seeing for lst time in a car!

Like you, I returned to cycling later (well, alot later than you) in a different city. I did wonder what the experience would be like in the original city/area that I grew up.

So several yrs. after cycling bug bit me, we went on our own self-made bike tour trip through Mennonite countryside, etc. I deliberately chose that we cycle in the fall and it was gorgeous and better particularily on bike. Except I hadn't anticipated transport trucks on a certain stretch of highway. Or how much of the farmland was overtaken by shopping mall, surburban development.

Still..we did the wooden covered bridges, etc. It was revisiting an area I had forgotten abit but from the perspective of bike saddle.

The ride in question contained a really big hill. It wasn't so much the way up that made me think he was nuts. It was the way down! (I was the kid who hated roller coasters. Can't you tell? ) I think it would have been nice...aside from that hill.

Now that I think about it, there are plenty of places back "home" that I would have liked to ride, and there are a lot of charity rides of varying lengths in that part of the state. I suppose it's a good place for it--scenic in parts, rolling or hilly areas, a couple of rivers (a few of the rides cross the Ohio River) to make it more scenic...

[msincredible]

Anytime I go somewhere flat I miss my hills.

I have found some nice rides on some of my business trips though, I have a few favorites near my hotels in San Diego, Vancouver, PA, etc.

[Miranda]

Shootingstar... your favorite home route sounds lovely! They say when we are away from things we love, it makes us only love them more. Sure your roads will be happy to see you when you return.

My favorite has a farm house I love. It's one of two that I think could be a picture perfect postcard of the Midwest. This particular one has the most beaufitul flower frontage I have ever seen in a spread.

One day the house owner was out tending the flowers. In her big straw gardening hat & long sleeve shirt to boot. Just completed the image for me. I had to stop and tell her how lovely they were.

Little does she know that her house was the one inspiration to me when I first started cycling to "at least ride far enough to see the flowers". Which is a 15mi flat loop from home btw.

Now, I have other favorite routes that are much further. But, I try to make a point if near this house to swing by and pay homage to my scenic cycling motivation.