120 miles!

Now that's what I call a weekend! I won't even talk about the miles Mike did this weekend because I'll feel like a wimp! I never made it to Wachussetts---didn't even try. I got lost in the historic, affluent communities of Carlisle, Groten---wow! every few miles or so there are these special ice cream places where you can buy homemade ice cream. Liken it to a Ben & Jerry's type and you'll get the picture. Good, creamy fresh and "full of fat" ice cream. You undo your bike ride with each stop. But worth it! Yum!

We enjoyed a perfect Saturday---after our respective rides, we met up at home and ate some food. Then we headed out to this fish-shack, it's called a fish market...but it's a shack, across from Fresh Pond in Cambridge. They've got the wooden fish crates out front and live lobsters and crabs swimming around containers on the inside. We opted for some fresh Salmon and it was the best Salmon I've had since we moved from California. Then it was off to find some beer.

We stopped into this liquor store that looked inviting and it was indeed. Belgian Beer! Yes! We grabbed some Leffe Blonde and some Hoegaarten, but when we went to pay, they asked for ID. I didn't have my wallet with me, but Mike showed his. The guy said if I didn't have my ID, he wouldn't sell us beer. Mike, on the verge of being angry said, "hey man, she's 43 years old!" The guy said, "Yeah right---sorry man!"

Can you believe it? I pretended to be annoyed about it but I have to say---as inconvenient as it turned out to be (we never found the right liquor store that also had Leffe), I thought it was pretty funny. Mike said that he was never going there again because they were expensive anyway. I may go back though. We ended up getting lost looking for the beer place in Sommerville. No surprise really. This is a very difficult place to find your way around. No grids. All circles and unmarked streets. Sigh.

We are about 15 miles east from where the REALLY good riding starts. I've never seen so many organic gardens and mansions. Makes the Atherton/Woodside area homes look like chump-change. Not really---but close. The Minuteman trail ends around Concord and from Concord - West it's great rolling roads. It's amazing to me how many people out there ride bikes that don't fit them. I can't help wanting to mention that it might be a good idea to raise your saddle about 2 inches, or (gulp!) lower your saddle about 4 inches---but I mind my own business.

I'm off to shop. Mike will be EXTRA hungry today---he rode out to the climb---and is hitching a ride home with friends. I like exploring at my own pace, and if I can avoid putting my bike in a car, I will...plus I like to stop and read about all the historical landmarks.

Funny thing, everyone complained about the wind when I passed them on the road. After living in Minnesota's prairie, I must have toughened up a bit to "wind"---I thought it was a glorious day. What wind?