We didn't get lost this time!

Getting lost in the woods completely shut my brain down!  I didn't even blog about the bike ride on Saturday evening in Ghent. Daniel works 1/2 days on Saturdays and then usually heads over to his brother's place to hang out with them.  However,  it was cancelled so we decided to spend it biking around a place we would eventually love to move to.  Ghent is a tiny oasis in Norfolk.  You can walk everywhere--the grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, parks, etc.  It's bustling with people and energetic, but it's also full of trees and quiet areas....I would LOVE to live there---but it's also expensive.

Fixing the bike rack

Anyhoo---we parked and headed out and my seat flipped up (extremely painful by the way).  So we had to circle back and get the wrench out of the trunk to fix it.  Daniel decided to pocket the wrench in case the incident happened again and we hit the road.  Of course, I almost got hit--again.  "I'm still rusty" will continue to be my response if anyone asks (not the fact that I have no balance whatsoever!).

Just like our adventure on Sunday, we had some amazing views.  We even saw some prehistoric looking white bird (my phone couldn't capture it's unique-ness).  There are 2 things that Saturday's bike ride had that Sunday's didn't:

1--we didn't get lost, and

We didn't get lost!!!!  But it's still humid.

2--we had Skinny Dip!

Anyone who knows me understands that sweets are my weakness--but especially ice cream (UWG readers--anyone remember the Marathon!?!).  My favorite ice cream would have to be Haagen Daz, however 300 calories for 1/2 a cup of ice cream is utterly ridiculous.  Enter the Skinny Dip--it's a frozen yogurt self serve bar!

 Each day, they have several flavors to choose from and then you top it with your heart's desire.  You pay by the ounce, so you get as much or as little as you choose.  120 calories or so per serving isn't bad either!  So at the end of the ride, my WONDERFUL husband took me into the store and we got dessert.  I'm ashamed to say what I put on I don't remember much of what topped my coconut fro yo--but there were a few slices of banana--YAY ME!

The banana is underneath everything else--I promise!

Thanks for the fro yo, boo!

It's getting late, so I've got to finish dinner (steak, onions, and garlic cooked in crock pot over rice, and something green) and watch Hawthorne.  Have a great night everyone!

Lost in the woods

Yesterday was definitely fun.  Daniel and I decided to take our bikes and head to First Landing State Park on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach.  This park was one of the top reasons for buying bikes in the first place.  We hiked there about a year ago and have been planning to head back ever since.

I bought us new gel bike seat covers to make the ride more comfortable so we were definitely excited to try them out.  Little did we know how much comfort we would really need!

We started out really easy, just enjoying the scenery.  We traveled through forest, marsh, and a beach!

This was definitely more physical than the beach last week.  The boardwalk was flat and smooth, while the state park was gravel, then sand; as well as hills and valleys.

The Cape Henry trail is 6.1 miles.  We did 4 miles last week so we knew we could handle 2 more miles.  Of course, we weren't thinking about the terrain difference.   Even still, we knew it would be a great workout, especially with a nice morning breeze (we headed out on the trail around 9:30am).

After biking and sweating and trucking along, we see the 4 mile marker.  This is it!  We're in the home stretch!  We come out of the trail into 1 of 3 parking areas and head down a winding, concrete road toward the end.  We're laughing and talking about how this was the most difficult physical thing we've ever done.  How proud we are at accomplishing 6 miles.  And then we see it.   The trail opening that we left over 30 minutes prior.  We giggle nervously, but keep riding down the road. And then we see a gate that we've never seen before.  We ride through and see that we're on Atlantic Avenue!  We are facing the boardwalk that we road on last week!  We are miles from our car, exhausted, and now we have to double back and do it all over again.

We were not happy to say the least.  We decided to stop and fuel our bodies for another 5 miles (we didn't have to go back up the winding road since we saw the trail entrance 2/3rd of the way down).  I munched on a few almonds, while Daniel ate a banana.  I'm so glad I brought snacks with us!

The ride back was silent.  We didn't talk, laugh, joke, or anything we were doing before.  We just rode and rode and rode.  I almost wept with joy when I saw the 1 mile marker---I started shouting to Daniel--"did you see it?  Did you?  Only 1 mile to GO!!".  I dug deep, and peddled my heart out.  My legs were like jelly by the time we made it back to the car--3 hours after we set out.  6.1 miles turned in to an 11 mile adventure we won't soon forget! Keep in mind, before last weekend, I hadn't been on a bike in over a decade--my legs will probably hate me tomorrow.

Our early afternoon plans were abandoned.  Daniel was supposed to go to his religious service at 1pm and I was planning on walk/jogging around the neighborhood.  I jumped in the shower, and then jumped in bed with a book.  Daniel jumped on the couch with a video game.  A few hours later, we went to the movies with my father, brother and nephew to see Transformers 3.  It was a great movie and it was nice to spend time with my family.

My father, brother and I on my wedding day

Today we're taking it easy.  I've got a Groupon for Wild Wings in Chesapeake and a free redbox code.  We may even go watch fireworks tonight.  Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Bike riding is awesome!

My computer at home has been funky, so I've had to come to the public library to finally get in a post this week.  This past Sunday was wonderful, I must say! Since my husband, Daniel, and I were able to get bikes we dedided to go to the boardwalk at Virginia Beach and bike around.
 
I never knew how difficult bike racks could be--it took almost 10 minutes to get our bikes on the thing, but everything seemed secure so we headed out.

It took awhile to find parking so we finally settled on the top level of the Hilton's parking lot--$2/hr.  It was a stunning day!  It was a little overcast which made the temperature perfect.  It was my 1st time on a bike in over a decade so I was very rusty--I almost had several run-ins with other bicyclists and pedestrians! 




My new bike!!!!

 Halfway through our ride, we stopped at the Rudee Inlet--where the boats and yachts enter the water. 

Directly next to the inlet was a park--but not just any park---it's made for all kids, including handicapped!

I've never seen a park specifically made so that all kids, despite disabilities, can play. I consider myself a kid at heart, so I almost ran over to have some fun.  But then I decided I had embarrassed Daniel enough with my riding issues, so I wouldn't add to it.  :o)  By the end of the day, we biked about 4 miles.

the husband and I

A gorgeous, HUGE, flower along the bike route.

 Afterward, we went to Ruby Tuesday and had dinner.  I was so excited to see spaghetti squash on the menu becuase I've been wanting to try it for some time now. 

It was HORRIBLE!  Gluey and overcooked.  I guess I'll have to make it at home someday to see what it should actually taste like.  We both ordered chicken dishes and I ate off his his salad bar plate.  BTW-their garlic cheddar biscuits weren't that great either, but their strawberry lemonades were as fantastic as ever! 

Our waiter called them liquid crack and I would have to agree!  They're very addictive. 

We finished the day with a movie on the couch--but I can't remember what it was (must not have been very good!).

Anyhoo-the library computers are shutting down in 3 minutes, so time to skeedaddle.  Have a great holiday weekend everyone!!!!