Another biking Sunday

Today my biking buddy and I went out on the W&OD again and my 12-year old son came along too. It was hot and sunny, but not too humid. It felt great. We didn't bike as many miles today because my son is not used to it, but we still managed about 22 in all. We did it at a very easy pace, making stops to admire the scenery, rehydrate, and even rescue a turtle that had wandered out onto the asphalt. Our trip coincided with the American Diabetes Association's "Tour de Cure," and there were way too many bikers out there going way too fast for one poor little turtle. My son picked it up and put it back down in a moist, grassy area off to one side of the road. It was the highlight of his day. There were no other wildlife sightings today, although we have come across great blue herons, hawks, and a black rat snake on other occasions. We had lunch at a restaurant called "Fireworks Pizza" in Leesburg (Employee T-shirt: "Get Fired," and a sign: "no fireworks allowed except in the kitchen"). They had great wood-fired pizza. I just had one small slice. The rest of my meal was a delicious stew of roasted vegetables served on polenta. Since we got there a little early for lunch, we spent some time browsing in an organic food store. It smelled wonderful! I walked out with two bars of soap. One was lavender and lime scented, and the other was white tea and ginger scented. I don't know how they think up these great combinations.

Is this progress, or what? A few months ago, 22 miles seemed shockingly ambitious. Now it's like a walk in the park. We are going to try to work my son up to the longer distances we prefer by the end of the summer.