For a few lucky days last week, it was hovering around 60 degrees outside. So the boyfriend and I dusted off and busted out our bikes.

I got all of these awesome bike accessories for Christmas/Hanukkah, so it was really nice to get to try some of them out. In particular, my SPD pedals. Don’t ask me what that stands for, but they’re pedals that clip into a shoe on one side, and they’re a regular pedal on the other side.

with props to the Reno Bike Project (sticker says "build bikes, not bombs")

So I knew that using the pedals with my new bike shoes would be a challenge, but I was up for it. I knew it would make riding my bike even better. So, for about 10 minutes, a few nights in a row, I tried to learn how to clip and unclip from the pedals.

so, um. it’s really, really hard.

Have you ever tried to do something on the bottom of your shoe without being able to see or even really feel what you’re doing? I got way too frustrated and one night, I actually threw a legitimate temper tantrum. Like, I yelled and screamed and threw my bike. Okay, so I didn’t actually throw my bike, because lets face it, that thing weighs a ton.  I more or less just dropped it aggressively. And then I directed my pouting at the boyfriend for about an hour.

okay, so i am a child.

It’s a good thing he knows how to treat me like a child when I’m acting like one, and not indulge in my pout-sessions. Seriously. It may not have been the best way of dealing with my frustration, but I think it helped me get to the place I needed to be to learn the whole clipping-unclipping thing. Because the next day, I could do it without any problems. I realized that I can clip my shoes into the pedals with ease. As long as I don’t try.

I rode up and down our street alley clipping and unclipping a few times As bad as it felt to fail at something that seems so simple, it felt just as good to succeed! I know for some people, it makes sense that taking the focus and pressure off, would make it easier. But that is not typically the way my brain works through things. I’ve always been someone that has to focus on what I’m doing. Particularly if the goal is to accomplish something. But I guess I’m not too set in my ways to adapt to a new way of learning.

So, this weekend, we rode our bikes to Peg’s Glorified Ham & Eggs (the best breakfast in the country), and it felt great! (cold, but great) The ride back, after eating the best huevos rancheros? A little less great, but worth it.

For the second day in a row, I have convinced myself out of biking to work and was somehow able to convince myself back into it!  The only thing I can come up with is that I must really, really like it!  Because I have paid a lot more money for an unused gym membership, than I paid for this bike, so I know it’s not that.  Perhaps it’s because I’m doing something good for the environment as well as myself?  Pretty sure the novelty has worn off by now, so I don’t think it’s that. Who knows, but I’m gonna stop questioning it.

Hooray!  Brad and I both vowed to not drive at all yesterday, and we rode our bikes everywhere we went!  It was my first day riding to work.  Brad came with me and we make a mini piedibus and he dropped me off at work on his way to school. 

After work, he came to pick me up and we rode to Bicycle Warehouse to pick up the basket I ordered (running to go take a picture):

my adorable wicker basket

We then rode to Sushi Pier 2 for some all you can eat.  We then had to ride home.  Ouchies.

Oh, I almost forgot to gush about our fabulous ride on Tuesday night!  Monday was super nice, but Tuesday was a good, long, hill-ish ride.

We rode down to Wingfield Park and then to Idlewild (which, by the way, is my new favorite park) from there.  We then rode up Hunter Lake to Plumb and home again.  I may have just learned to weeks ago to ride again, but I am feeling really comfortable!

I rode again to work this morning.  This time, by myself.  I think I did pretty well!  Will probably skip tomorrow because it’s supposed to be cold, but I think I could definitely ride to work three or so times a week.  I’m loving it!

I guess that’s all for now.

So, after another surprise boyfriendly visit (I love those, by the way–if you are reading this, boyfriend), I went home to Brad who was already preparing a picnic for us to take on our ride to Wingfield.  It took us a lot longer to prep than we expected, but we still got a decent ride in before dark.  (We also got to take a stroll through our neighbors’ new garden and man am I excited for all the stuff they’re growing!)

So, we finally started on our ride at around 6:30.  Wingfield Park is not even a mile and a half from my house, so that’s not really what scared me, but being on the road with cars on Arlington .. ick.  It ended up being pretty quiet so I did okay.  I think I am almost ready to ride to work soon!

So, we rode to Wingfield and had our little picnic on the grass.

Disclaimer: I was a little camera-happy so prepare yourself for lots of Becca-and-Brad pictures!

Brad, pretending to not notice I'm taking pictures of him.

We had an experimental home-made pasta salad.  We are so cute.  It’s almost disgusting.  Okay, it is.  We are totally that couple I used to hate.  I wanted to lay on the grass some more but Brad wasn’t really enjoying it as much as I was.

me, laying on the grass. brad, not amused.

brad hijacked my phone and caught one of me getting ready to go. good thing i was already smiling

Then we rode around the park a bit.  We were going to sit and have a beer at the Tap House, but it was too crowded, so we decided to just sit down by the river to enjoy our amazingly delicious dessert.

balsamic-honey strawberries with a whipped vanilla bean mascarpone topping. heaven.

No reason for putting this here, I just thought it was super cute.

And that was our evening.  We rode back just as the sun went down (loving that it’s light out til 8 these days!)  Can’t wait to do it again. 

So after my lonely day at work, followed by a lonely weekend, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  I was going to go have breakfast, but opted not to, even though I was really craving Sunday brunch from Voila!, one of my favorite places to eat downtown.  I wussed out, though, inspite of the encouragement from friends and my brother on Facebook and bailed on myself to go grocery shopping (for the first time in probably over a month).  I came home and made myself an amazing breakfast panini (this would be a good place for a photo of said panini, but I was far too hungry to waste time with pictures), watched Saved! and decided I had to get out of the house.

So I ventured out on my very first solo bike ride.  To Starbucks.  And on the way back, I even rode on Plumas for a few blocks (scary, I know).  I hung out outside at Starbucks for a while, drinking my coffee, reading and soaking up the sun.  It was great.  Really must do more of that.

Then, last night, my little sis and neighbor came over for some good BBQing, which I love.  There really is nothing better than sitting outside, eating delicious food with friends in beautiful weather.  I am so ready for summer.

Oh yeah, and my public service committee meeting for Ad2 Reno was changed from tonight to tomorrow night, so Brad and I are going to ride down to Wingfield Park and play.  It’ll be my first ride on any type of major, highly-trafficked road.  So, yay!  Yay for beautiful weather and feeling good about life!  Weird to feel this good on a Monday!  Loving it.

So … here we are.  I am thinking about making this blog mostly about my adventures with my new bike.  I am under the impression it might be easier to write about a particular topic or focus, so we’ll start with that.  But I feel like that might get old quickly–to all of NOBODY that is reading this.  Either way, I anticipate this blog will highlight more than just my bike life.

So, I bought this bike from the Reno Bike Project.  It’s pretty rad, actually.

My late 70s - early 80s schwinn

I am basically in love with it.

So, the last time I was on a bike (not of the stationary-gym variety) was around 1994.  I was 9 and I went “chin surfing,” as my family likes to call it.  Suffice it to say I was kind of over the whole bike thing.  By the time I stopped being afraid of bikes, I never really saw a use/need for them in my life and then the idea just never occurred to me.

So, here I am, living in Reno with gorgeous weather about 3/4 of the year.  I work about five minutes away from my home, which happens to be in a lovely area near downtown.  Why would I NOT have a bike?  So I got a bike.

My outdoor enthusiast boyfriend had NOTHING to do with it either.  Okay, that’s a lie.  He had to teach me how to ride all over again.  At first it was scary, feeling like I was going to topple over if he let go.  But then something overcame me and I wasn’t scared anymore.  I just went.  You really never forget how to ride a bike.

Success!

Turning around on a bike, however, I still have yet to master.  I can’t quite make a u-turn, but am sort of able to do an o-turn.

Days after learning, I was on the real road.  Driving with cars is scary.  And just days after that, I had my first fall.  Note to self: double-knot shoelaces.  I got right back on that horse — er, bike — and rode all the way to Blockbuster!  Okay, that’s a lie too.  I walked with it on the sidewalk on Plumb.  Too scary.

Last night I was a weiner and didn’t really ride at all and now I am regretting that since it’s supposed to thunder/rain/snow through Wednesday night.

Okay, so there it is.  My first blog.  Yay me!