Solo Ride to McKinney Falls

Yesterday was a great day! The weather was awesome. I got to spend time with Skylar and I got to go on a really nice bike ride by myself while Skylar was working.

I've been wanting to bike to McKinney Falls for a while, but I had thought about biking there and hanging out there for a while and that never really fit in my plans. It didn't fit in my plans yesterday either, but I decided to go for it. I need to try routes other than the Southern Walnut Creek Trail for my training and this seemed like a good day to go on an adventure!

The ride was really nice. There were bike lanes pretty much the whole way except for the last bit heading up to the park entrance. That part was scary because cars were going 50 mph and were trying to drive past me in the same lane. It was dangerous! I don't understand how people can feel comfortable doing that. Riding a bike is often precarious... I could hit a rock or swerve the wrong way and fall down. They wouldn't have time to stop and they would certainly hit me. 

I started biking right in the middle of the lane, which I should have been doing from the beginning,  and that fixed the problem. I guess I was just used to being in the bike lane.

Anyway, I made it safely!

There was a really long line to get in the park. It was a beautiful day and I am glad that people were out enjoying this great park!

Here are pictures of the falls from my visit a couple of weeks ago. It had just rained so there was so much water.

I'm not sure which of these is the upper falls or the lower falls... but they're both beautiful!

Not too much else to report for that ride. The ride home was great, but uneventful and then Skylar and I went to Cafe Monet and painted some cool stuff!

To Manor We Go!

It's already February! And the MS 150 is only two and a half months away.. After taking several weeks off from training, it's time to get back at it. And the weather this weekend was great for bike riding. Sunday in particular was really beautiful.

Skylar and I started the day off by going to FrankenBike, where they sell and trade bike parts for cheap and also were giving ladies free tune ups! We got our bikes checked out (they both need a little more work to be in perfect shape, but they are safe to ride thankfully!) and headed out to Manor on the Southern Walnut Creek trail.

I really love this ride! I did it by myself last year and started at my house which ended up being 30 miles. There are just the right amount of hills to make you feel like you're really getting some good training in without being too intimidating. So I was excited when Skylar said she'd go with me this time! It's nice to share the ride with someone.

We ended up just doing 20 miles to ease back into it, plus we didn't have a ton of time after we did FrankenBike. But 20 miles ended up being the perfect amount.

I really like the Southern Walnut Creek trail because it's away from cars and you get to bike through some cool scenery. There's one part that opens up to this cute little farm. I love to come up on the wide spaces after biking through a somewhat narrow path through tall plants. There used to be a water station here maintained by the Ghisallo Foundation, but it's currently not there anymore.. not sure if they decided to take it down permanently or just have it take a break or what.. but in any case, I miss it! It was nice to have a chance to fill up on water and read different news about bike stuff happening.

We came up on the end of the paved trail which was about 7 miles and took a quick photo and water break. The trail ends at this random park where they fly toy airplanes and helicopters. It's cool to take a break and watch the little helicopters fly around and do tricks.

Then we started on the road to Manor which is pretty hilly, but fun, and makes you feel like you're getting a good work out. It feels like the country even though you're only ten miles out from Austin.

We got to Manor High School and then we were ready to turn around. Snapped some photos with this sweet fireworks stands and headed back! 

It was a really beautiful day and it was great to spend it biking with Skylar! And I feel good to get back in the habit of training on the weekends. The MS 150 will be here in no time.. yikes!

Speaking of which, if you feel like donating to my campaign, here's the link: Kelsey's MS 150 Participant Page. Thanks!!