… I went for a bike ride after work. Things didn't go as I planned.

Recently, my sister uncovered a photo of my first bike.  It was quite small.  Thus, it didn't take long for me to graduate to a larger frame, and thus we have my 2nd bike, which I took possession of in 1981.

Steve & Dan in 1981

In this photo, I'm the one on the left, hanging out in Grandpa's back yard sporting a spiffy fall outfit!  My cousin Dan, who is a year older, is on the right.  I've moved on to a single-speed, cruiser-style bike, with fatter tires and a coaster brake.  You will note that the bell from my first bike has made the transition.

Oh, and it's a girl's bike!

Closer look at my cruiser bike

An interesting piece of trivia regarding this photo… while the handlebars are different on the two bikes, they are actually the same model!  You see, these bikes were hand-me-downs from Dan's two older sisters (hence the step-through frame), continuing the odd Steve Tanner tradition of never owning a brand new bike.

My parents have a hilarious Super 8 movie of me riding up and down our alley shortly after I received this bike.  Soon there was a car approaching, and I hadn't quite figured out how to work a coaster brake, so to get out of the way and stop, I intentionally crashed into a fence!

While I did enjoy the bigger bike and the ability to coast, when compared to the bikes that my friends had at the time (typically a BMX-type model), I have to admit that I didn't feel very "manly" while riding this thing.

Thankfully, that inferiority complex was corrected with my third bike, my favorite of all time.  But we'll cover that wonderful machine on another day!

My sister Karen is our resident family historian. She's been researching our family tree and digging up archival photos for years. The other day she e-mailed me a photo of my first "real" bike.

Steve rides in 1980

Found in the albums of my late grandpa is this photo of me in 1980, riding a red 2-wheeler bicycle. I've moved on from the plastic Big Wheels and tricycles. It was purchased at a garage sale in Wisconsin and repainted, fenders and all. While this bike did come with training wheels, it looks like 5-year-old Steve has moved beyond them!

I'm descending a hilly road at Phantom Ranch Bible Camp, the camp I worked at for many years, and where I met Amy. My uncle was the Executive Director, so we often would drive up there and enjoy the property.  I look so intent and focused, probably because I'm trying not to crash! This was a fixed-gear bicycle, meaning that it didn't have the ability to coast, nor did it come with any brakes.

Take a closer look!

At the time, helmet wearing wasn't in vogue, but check out that bell on the handlebars! I remember it had a little flag logo on it that eventually fell off.  Still, I tried to let people know I was coming by ringing it… a lot!

Completing my cycling ensemble is a stylish tank top that featured the word "Sneakers" printed on it; I'm not quite sure why. How about those red gym shoes? Awesome. And no spandex here… I'm apparently content to bike in jeans.

Interestingly enough, just 3 years later, I would fall and break my right wrist in this very same location. Of course, then it was winter and I got injured while sledding.

I've always loved to ride my bike, enjoying the freedom that comes with that experience. Special thanks to my parents who helped encourage that as I grew up!

I'm White. I Blink!

Just as I've picked up a rear red blinking light for my bike (again, to keep drivers from running me over), I've also added a triple LED front headlight.  It produces a steady light or blinks… and is also required by law in Chicago for riding at night.

As you can see, it also nicely highlights my bike bag bracket, notable for that big grey splotch of epoxy.  I cracked the bracket over 20 years ago, back when I used the same bag on my 10-speed.  Hmm, maybe I should paint that spot black or something! (And if you are wondering how the light works while the bike bag is mounted, yeah, I'm working on that solution as well!)

Spousal Clashing?

You might say that our Halloween costume this year reflects current events!

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I'm Red. I Blink!

Continuing our theme of stuff to keep drivers from killing me while cycling, I've now got a rear LED blinking light on my bike. With daylight disappearing rapidly, I've been finding that my post-workday rides are being done in far more dusk-like conditions. Hopefully, this helps a bit!

Can you see me now?

Just doing my part to help Chicago drivers see me while I bike this fall!

Now that I've got some downtime after being hit by a car while riding my bike (we'll save that story for later), I figured it would be a good time to look at some other things we did over the past few months.  It's another "Summertime Out and About" post!

Ticket to Ride at the Botnaic Gardens!

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The other day I reached a personal goal that I was rather excited about.  So far this summer, I have biked a total of 500 miles around the neighborhood and on various trails in the city.

Mileage tracked by RunKeeper.com

As a recreational cyclist, I know that's not a big deal to those who bike all the time, especially daily commuters.  However, considering that I'm riding a 20-year old mountain bike that I've modified for hybrid street/trail riding, I'm pretty stoked by hitting that number.

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Over the weekend, I rode part of the Green Bay Trail, which is located at the northern portion of Cook County. This trail parallels the Union Pacific North Line railroad tracks, used by Metra to serve their North Shore clientele. It starts in Wilmette at the south and runs up to Highland Park for about 9 miles, hitting Kenilworth, Winnetka, and Glencoe, along the way.  Once you cross from Cook County into Lake County, it connects with another trail (Robert McClory Bike Path) that continues north towards the Wisconsin border.

Green Bay Trail trailhead

I picked it up in Glencoe, having parked at the Chicago Botanic Garden.  The trailhead was about a mile east of the Gardens, right down Lake Cook Road. It rained shortly before I rode, so there were puddles and wet spots found on the crushed limestone trail.  This being the summer of "new bike trail discoveries" for me, I enjoyed exploring something new as I rode, but due to time constraints only got to ride a portion.  We'll solve that in a future ride!

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