That was my dream. Now let me tell you what really happened. This morning I left the house at 9:30am to go on the maiden voyage of my new kickbike.
I thought small, so ventured over to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation area; thinking that a few laps around the parking lot would be a nice warm up before hitting the Neon Lake trail.
I couldn't believe the number of cars that were there. There was no
warm up. There was no trail riding so off to Elk Island National Park.
I wanted some solitude; some place where I could practice my
'technique'. Well, more so a place where I wouldn't get laughed at when
I wiped out trying to switch feet to kick.
As I drove to the park, I thought about what trail would be best and settled on the Hayburger; small hills and flat terrain.
Things were looking great; no cars in the parking lot. I pulled the bike out and got myself all set up. I made it about 500 feet into the bush; only to find a very soggy trail and lots of mud. That was not what I needed for a first time out so back to the truck I went.
I was not going to give up. The paved trail at Astotin Lake was the next destination. Wrong again. It still had ice and snow covering it. I was beginning to think that the maiden voyage was not meant to be. As I came back to the parking lot, I did get a chuckle when I heard this little boy yell, 'Mom, look at that adult scooter!"
One would think that after three attempts I would pack it in and go home. Not this gal. Stubborn is my middle name. I was determined to find a spot to practice that was longer than my driveway. Then it hit me. The local elementary school parking lot. Well, that wasn't meant to be either. The street sweeper was in it.
Needless to say, I'm still dreaming. The maiden voyage did not happen. The scenic tour did give me the opportunity to see that most of the
ponds are almost clear of all the ice. A variety of waterfowl were
splashing and feeding in the open water. I noticed that some of the
beaver ponds are in sad shape. There is barely any water in them and no
snow left to melt and fill them.
Yesterday was April 1 and the temperature got to 16C. It is noon and it is already 17C today. The forecast is for 22C. My maiden voyage will happen on another day. This afternoon I'll be starting the yard clean up. Nothing like a little backyard bonfire to get one dreaming of camping season.
More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/
As I drove to the park, I thought about what trail would be best and settled on the Hayburger; small hills and flat terrain.
Things were looking great; no cars in the parking lot. I pulled the bike out and got myself all set up. I made it about 500 feet into the bush; only to find a very soggy trail and lots of mud. That was not what I needed for a first time out so back to the truck I went.
I was not going to give up. The paved trail at Astotin Lake was the next destination. Wrong again. It still had ice and snow covering it. I was beginning to think that the maiden voyage was not meant to be. As I came back to the parking lot, I did get a chuckle when I heard this little boy yell, 'Mom, look at that adult scooter!"
One would think that after three attempts I would pack it in and go home. Not this gal. Stubborn is my middle name. I was determined to find a spot to practice that was longer than my driveway. Then it hit me. The local elementary school parking lot. Well, that wasn't meant to be either. The street sweeper was in it.
Yesterday was April 1 and the temperature got to 16C. It is noon and it is already 17C today. The forecast is for 22C. My maiden voyage will happen on another day. This afternoon I'll be starting the yard clean up. Nothing like a little backyard bonfire to get one dreaming of camping season.
More photos at https://www.facebook.com/Ramblings-of-an-Outdoor-Girl-1015659961820012/
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