Monday, May 7, 2012

Mountain Bike Monday - Ridin' It Up!

Poco May 4, 2012

On Friday, we took the day off and went for a short ride at Poco in the early morning.

Poco May 4, 2012 (3)

There's nothing more beautiful than the sun glistening through the damp green leaves in the early morning at the park.

Poco May 4, 2012 (9)

There had been a little rain overnight, so everything was crisp and clean.

Poco May 4, 2012 (10)

The leaves were sagging a bit from the weight of the water.

Poco May 4, 2012 (15)

When you rode through the canopy of low leaves, you would get a whack from the wet leaves. It actually felt refreshing!

Poco May 4, 2012 (17)

In my opinion, the morning is the best time to ride...

Poco May 4, 2012 (20)

Everything is fresh and new. Not worn out from the day.

Poco May 4, 2012 (22)

There are also very few riders out early. You have the time to be peaceful, quiet, and alone with nature. There were beautiful tulip poplar blooms everywhere!

Poco May 4, 2012 (32)

We had a lovely time riding together. The ride was good.

Poco May 4, 2012 (33)

We did stop for a few more pics than usual!

Poco May 4, 2012 (35)

It was too pretty not to stop and enjoy it!

Poco May 4, 2012 (37)

Usually I look forward to seeing this sign...

Poco May 4, 2012 (24)

But, for some reason I didn't on Friday!

And...

On Saturday we met Mom and Dad at the Jamestown Settlement to do the kid exchange. They watched Charlie for the day while we got in a good long training ride.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

I was in charge of mapping out our ride. We were shooting for 35 miles. This is all in preparation for our 50 mile ride this Saturday - The Cap-2-Cap!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

First, we headed out on the Capitol Trail that we caught from the Jamestown Settlement. This was Mile 0 on the route.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

There was lots of farmland at the beginning of the route, but then we ventured into a beautiful wooded area.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

There was a really nice bridge at the start...

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

The scenery was lovely and everything was well marked and safe.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

We had never travelled this section of the trail...only the Charles City portion. So, this was new for us.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

This trail took us 8 miles out to the Chickahominy Bridge.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

It's a beautiful bridge today, with a dedicated bike lane.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Up until a short while ago, this bridge was a rickety little draw bridge that honestly was a little sketchy to cross.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

It was a whole different feeling being on top of the bridge on a bike rather than in a car.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Talk about a long way down! But, we had to stop at the top and take our self photo...

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

It's just so amazing to be on top of the world!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

We turned around and headed the 8 miles back to the car. Along the way we saw red birds, deer, blue jays, and even a baby groundhog!

We hopped on the Colonial Parkway for our 10 mile trek to Colonial Williamsburg.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

If you've never ridden the Parkway, you should do it once.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

The scenery is lovely!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

The cars go at max 45 mph. The buses are more aggravating than anything!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

There was such a lovely smell in the air. It's a beautiful spring scent of honeysuckle and wild roses.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

There was a dairy farm along the route. It appeared to be very old, but the view they had was breathtaking.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Do you see the 3 crosses?

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

There were lots of bridges and pull-offs. The locals seemed to know where the beaches were.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

We got to Colonial Williamsburg and stopped to refuel. I got a Pepsi! I think that really helped me regain my umph!! Strolling the streets we saw a beautiful garden of foxgloves in full bloom!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

I've never seen so many in one place! I've tried to grow them without much luck. Now, with Charlie eating everything they would be a bad idea. They are poisonous to dogs.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

We headed out of downtown, past William & Mary back towards the car. There were some bike lanes along the road, so this was a plus!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Once we reached the car, we headed back out on the Parkway towards Jamestown Island...

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

We could see the Ferry the whole time.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

The weather was perfect.

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Just as we got back to the car, the rain started. We felt great after completing a successful ride. We completed 36.5 miles! I think we're ready for this Saturday's ride!

Williamsburg Ride May 5, 2012

Hope your weekend was great!



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