Time in the Saddle

Well, Bill has finally made some decisions :)  ....Just joking, but we really have been seriously pondering and praying about this summer.  So much time!  So many choices!  Do you feel sorry for us yet?

So, one thing we know that WILL COME TO BE.  It's settled, it's bought, it's nailed down.....

July.  Bill's 40th b-day.  Bastille Day.  France.  Tour de France.  Us!

Yep.  We'll be there.

So, the plan is we are going on a guided Tour de France vacation.  We (by "we" I mean mostly Bill, but possibly me if I can get my big bum up the hills) will be riding.. on our bikes... some of the most famous tour de France routes.  The Alpe d' Huez, Pyrenees, and other formidable climbs.  (Someone please help me!!)

So, we have been working the past three weeks, and will be working for the next 3 months, on getting our tired, old middle-aged bodies ready for this.

I have ridden EVERY day, 6 days a week, for the past little while.  It hurts.  Hills suck.  BUT, I am getting better every time and I can definitely feel the improvement every time I go out.  We are beating our times consistently each ride. (It's not hard to beat some of my first rides that were at at a granny pace).

Last Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day.  One of the very few, very rare ones that we've seen in these parts during the spring.  The boys were conveniently at a scout camp over the weekend, so Bill and I took full advantage of the gorgeous day and the lack of responsibility, and went out for an amazing ride.

Bill took me on one of his favorite routes to Snohomish.  It was a gorgeous ride through farmland, rolling hills and plenty of manure smell.  The odor aside, it was one of the best rides ever.  There were a few challenging hills, and a few places where I had to really push to keep up with Bill, but for the most part, a very good ride.  Challenging, but not killer.  It was about 35 miles and a little over 2 hours in the saddle.

We stopped in Snohomish for lunch at the same cute little bakery that mom, Deb and I ate at while they were visiting.  Bill liked it, too!  Then it was back on the bikes for a ride home through the farmlands of Monroe.

We should have taken pictures, but alas, I'm not that good at thinking ahead for blog worthy moments.  I'll work on getting better at that!

I'll just put an old picture of us when we were riding through part of that same area.  You'll never know the difference.  All our bike riding photos look the same, anyway.

So....so sum up this blog post.  There will be much bike riding in my immediate future.  Wish me luck.