Tour de Orange
I wanted to go bike riding today, because it's been so unseasonably cool. So I got motivated, even if I had to go by myself. And I said to myself, why don't you try and see if you can get to the real bike trail that goes to the beach? Well, I knew about the dead end, and I was going to circumvent it, but when I got there, a bunch of hiking army guys with backpacks were following some narrow trail that I had never paid attention to. So, being adventurous, I followed them. Granted, I had to walk the bike across this dirt path full of rocks and low branches, but it wasn't hard at all. Until they allowed me to pass. I asked if it connected to anything, and one of them replied, "there's a park just up there. You can ride the rest of the way." Now, against my better judgement, I hopped on my bike in front of them, and promptly lost my balance and slid into a tree. Nice job. Scraped up my arm and everything. Oh well, just a little blood, no dirt, I'm ok. One of them laughed at me. I was tempted to feign more damage to force them to learn what it is like to administer unexpected first aid, but I didn't want to get laughed at further. A few yards away, I found my goal. Another park. I'm in the nice part of Santa Ana now. I ride through old ranch-style houses that are kept up nicely, hidden from the sleazier parts of town. I also can't find a way to the next trail. Luckily there's this thing on my phone that has maps on it. I make my way to the trail and feel victorious. And yet I'm not done. This being All-Star Weekend, being held in Anaheim, I decide to actually ride to the stadium. I'm getting tired, but feel pretty good about making it. Oh, but I've got to get home now. I take an easier route back, but it feels more dangerous because I'm on the streets. After a few detours, I make it back to the other end of the trail. And take it all the way to my doorstep. All in all, I estimate I went about 8 1/2 miles round trip. Fellini would be proud. Hope I'm not sore later....