Last night I sent my mom a text: "Can I have the car? I have a home visit in The Pocket." That was going to be my plan as I was tired, still feeling sick, the BionX wasn't charged enough, and it would be a 15+ mile trip into an area I'm not really used to riding in.
However, by morning, I realized those were all pretty pathetic excuses. If I was really going to reach my goals of not driving and getting more exercise, I had to make an effort and push myself. Luckily, the boys got me out of bed at 7 am, giving me enough time to get the bike out and plug it in for a few hours to top off the battery. I tried to give myself extra time to account for my inevitably getting lost but I just couldn't get out the door that easily.
The route was pretty simple, riding along the Riverside bike lane. Once I got into the Pocket area, it was more complicated trying to follow a twisted maze of paths through a park. Luckily, I had my iPhone handy and was able to save myself from too much backtracking.
I showed up to my appointment about 10 minutes late but not sweaty or stressed (I had averaged about 14-16 mph the whole way but did get lost quite a few times). The best part was arriving in such a great mood.
Going home was much easier because I was more confident in the route. The park was much easier to navigate and it led me right up to the Sacramento River Parkway. Sadly, the Sacramento River Parkway is frequently blocked from private residences' illegal fences. South Sacramento is missing out on what could be an amazing biking resource like the American River Parkway. Hopefully, with all the work that the Sacramento River Parkway Coalition is doing and the recent positive political actions, this could be up and running in the next few years.
However, by morning, I realized those were all pretty pathetic excuses. If I was really going to reach my goals of not driving and getting more exercise, I had to make an effort and push myself. Luckily, the boys got me out of bed at 7 am, giving me enough time to get the bike out and plug it in for a few hours to top off the battery. I tried to give myself extra time to account for my inevitably getting lost but I just couldn't get out the door that easily.
The route was pretty simple, riding along the Riverside bike lane. Once I got into the Pocket area, it was more complicated trying to follow a twisted maze of paths through a park. Luckily, I had my iPhone handy and was able to save myself from too much backtracking.
I showed up to my appointment about 10 minutes late but not sweaty or stressed (I had averaged about 14-16 mph the whole way but did get lost quite a few times). The best part was arriving in such a great mood.
Going home was much easier because I was more confident in the route. The park was much easier to navigate and it led me right up to the Sacramento River Parkway. Sadly, the Sacramento River Parkway is frequently blocked from private residences' illegal fences. South Sacramento is missing out on what could be an amazing biking resource like the American River Parkway. Hopefully, with all the work that the Sacramento River Parkway Coalition is doing and the recent positive political actions, this could be up and running in the next few years.
The beautiful Sacramento River Parkway.
Bummer! Ran out of trail. This is one of the many "private" sections of the parkway.
Got home and immediately loaded up the kids onto the Mundo to meet family in midtown for lunch. I was so happy to have been able to do a long bike ride quickly but not end up exhausted and be able to function for the rest of the day. Even though I used an electric bike, I was able to eat an awesome grilled cheese with lots of bacon and still have plenty of calories left over to have a full dinner. Some people might say that having an electric bike is cheating. I say that driving is cheating. If I hadn't had the BionX, I would have driven today. I am so happy that I didn't!
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