June is Bike month!

Sunday evening I had some time on my hands... plenty to do around the house (like cleaning up my room and such like), but it was so beautiful outside that I felt like going to the park to read. I've also been curious about how the bike path system works in Edmonton, so I wanted to find the one that would take me from my house to a big lush park across the river. I started out on my little pink and purple bike, book in my backpack, along the roads and found some "bike path this way" signs. As I followed the signs, they wove me in and out of residential areas and didn't bring me any nearer to my destination. Actually, they got me completely turned around to the point where I was lost in Edmonton without a map, not knowing which direction I was facing. But at that moment, I didn't care because the scenery was beautiful. I rode through areas with huge, beautiful, old houses filled with character, with what I would imagine English gardens to be. I didn't know these areas even existed in Edmonton! When I got out of these areas and ended up riding over the road where I should have been (with no way to get there), I found myself far away from where I wanted to be, and still on the wrong side of the river. But to my side was a gorgeous view of the river valley, the university on the other side, a gazebo on the top of the hill, people milling about or reading books on the benches..... just an over-all relaxing picture in the midst of a busy city. Since I could now see where I was, and where I wanted to go, I made a plan of action to get there and started riding again.... down a big hill (which was lots of fun), across the river, up the hill on the other side (*pant*pant*) and into the park I had originally planned to go to. There were many people playing frisbee on the park, campfires, etc, and I found a spot in the middle of a big, soft, grassy field and plunked myself down for a few minutes. Since I took such a detour, I didn't have time to start reading (I knew it was all up-hill to get back), so just enjoyed the setting sun and the people and the grass. I ended up finding the bike trail back to my house, and on the way was a marvelous experience..... it was humid enough (and I was sweaty enough), and the wind was just right, to make it feel like I was riding my bike to the dining hall at Capernwray early in the morning. It was that chilly, damp, waking-you-up sort of feeling where you know the day is going to be good. I purely enjoyed it for the seconds that it lasted and thought of the great Capernwray people I got to hang out with at Denis and Denise's wedding. I then started my strenuous ride home, much of it at quite an angle (I could really feel my leg muscles bulging with the strain) and still enjoyed almost every bit of it. What a thouroughly enjoyable evening!