I’ve been itching to get back into bike riding, so last week, after a year of talking about it, I went and picked up a new Trek 7000 urban/hybrid bike at The Bike Rack here in Omaha.
When I was growing up in the backwoods of Missouri, one of my chief enjoyments was my daily bike ride up to the mailbox. It was a two mile round trip experience that took me across fen and field on the dirt road that led to our house. It was a good break from the daily routine of feeding the horses, taking care of the animals and generally doing nothing for most of my summers. That’s the price you pay when you live three miles from the paved roads and 15 miles from any town of consequence. Trust me, the word “podunk” doesn’t describe the situation.
Anyways, I digress. It was wonderful to take off for a half-hour bike ride when I was a kid and it’s even more enjoyable now. Omaha has approximately 90 miles of bicycle trails that run through the city. This morning after I got up I drove down to near the trail head of the Keystone Trail in Northwest Omaha and pedaled down to 72nd Street and Grover. It was around six miles each way and the weather was perfect. Right around 75 degrees without a cloud in the sky. The trail wasn’t very busy (I’ve walked parts of it several times). There were plenty of other riders as well as a few women brave enough to roller-blade.
All-in-all it was a good ride. I think tomorrow afternoon I’m going to bike a few miles of the Big Papio Trail. I haven’t been on it yet. Let’s hope the weather holds up!
