Over the July 4 holiday, Amy & I visited with my sister Karen and brother-in-law Brian at their home in northeastern Indiana. They live on a lake, which is pretty awesome during the summer months. They are also pretty close to an awesome set of mountain bike trails at nearby Winona Lake.
Steve & Karen get ready to ride!
It's still pretty early in biking season, but I've already been pretty active this year. In fact, I've put over 100+ miles on my new bike tires so far.
It's hard to miss Steve wearing this shirt!
I'm doing a lot more riding in traffic and on main city streets, which presents its own set of challenges, including the avoidance of "dooring" collisions with parked cars. Needless to say, it's been an adventure so far!
My friends Bryan & Jen Sampson were concerned for my safety with this increase in urban riding and bought me the shirt featured in the photo above. Although, since the printing is written backwards, does that mean that the only way it will be read is by the driver in their rearview mirror AFTER they've rolled over my body?
So I've purchased new tires for my bike this season. I've never actually bought new tires before, so this was an educational experience.
Introducing the Specialized Crossroads Armadillo
Come to think of it, I've never actually owned a new bike. Everything I've ridden over the years has been purchased used. So I guess I could splurge on some new tires, right?
I'm currently riding an early 1990s Giant Iguana mountain bike that I bought used from the adventure trip folks at Phantom Ranch back in 1996. Over time I've probably replaced almost every element on the thing… crank, seat, handlebars, cables, etc. (At one point, I fractured both my arms while riding it, but that's another story.) Sure, I should probably get a new bike with a better fit, but other priorities always come up.
Steve and his bike last summer
As we finally put winter and cold weather behind us, one thing that really brings me joy is the ability to ride my bike. Last year, Amy and I really hunkered down to eliminate our student loans and other outstanding debt, thus bike repair wasn't really in the cards. But this season we got our bikes tuned up and repaired… and I shopped for new tires.
Recently Amy & I packed up the RAV4 with our tent and headed out to Rockford for a little camping and mountain biking. The weather couldn't have been more cooperative. We had an awesome time!
Steve conquers... the bridge!
Rock Cut State Park is located on the northeast edge of Rockford, approximately 1.5 hours from Chicago. We've camped here before with larger groups, but this time around it was just us. Having spent the summer of 1995 living in Rockford during my internship at WIFR-23, Rockford holds an "interesting" place in my heart. I think I'll leave it at that.
Our Campsite at Rock Cut State Park
Amy relaxes with a book
We didn't make advanced reservations, but had no problem getting a campsite. Thanks to some advanced notes my parents took on their last time at the park, we had a good idea which campsite would be best suited for our tastes. We ended up with a nice spot completely surrounded by trees, which made for a quieter, less chaotic experience.
