I love the New River. I have kayaked on the new river and hiked along the New River Trail a number of times. I have also cycled along the trail now twice.
When we went there a few weeks ago, I figured all of the fall colors would have faded onto the ground. I was surprised to see there were still colorful leaves on the trees. Be still my heart. Another amazing fall day brought to us by God!
We rode 42 miles along the trail and I was in awe of the beauty. I think I may drive Marty a little crazy because I’m always exclaiming, “Oh! Look how pretty!” “OOOOhhhhh look!” With a random, “OOOH look, more cows!” <– For the record, I love cows. “Ooooh I love the red colors!” When the wind blows and the leafs start free falling, I mention Winnie the Pooh’s blustery day! I *think* my favorite fall leaf color is yellow….or maybe it’s orange. There really are too many hues of too many colors in the fall trees.
As we rode a few Saturdays ago, we thought it would be fun to ride the entire trail from end to end and back– camping along the way. It would be a total of 114 miles. This turned into actually making plans. Yay! Just after Thanksgiving, we will camp along the trail for 2 nights and 3 days. I have never done anything like this, so I’m really excited. I don’t know if I can ride my bike with all the gear, but I’m sure going to try. What’s the worst thing that can happen? <I shouldn’t ask>
My Little Red Bike has a rack that can hold 55 pounds. Marty’s can hold 88 pounds. Hint: he’s going to carry the heavy stuff. <laughter> Marty brought two blue bags over yesterday and I tried them on my bike. I went for a little spin to see how it felt and it felt pretty good. Without any weight, that is. Maybe I need to try this with some hand weights inside the bags first.
I’ll have three bags to pack with gear. I’ve been trying to make a list of the absolute necessities. I think I can carry more in my kayak when we camp than I will be able to tote on my bike……so I’m really going to have to scale it down. Both are completely different than Jeep camping, let me tell you. Jeep camping is like bringing everything except the kitchen sink.
I am not sure why I want to try this. There’s something extremely satisfying about bettering yourself and becoming more physically fit. So far, none of my rides, hikes or kayak adventures have been extreme, but I have improved myself over the last 6 years and that has always been my goal–self improvement.
I’m thankful that Marty is patient with me because I certainly slow him down a lot!!!
My blog is a lot about nothing, isn’t it? In all honesty, I set out to be a better writer, but it never happens. The time goes by all too quickly, especially when I’m enjoying the great outdoors. My youngest is still not working. He was asked to leave the camper WD, DW, and her grandkid were living in. There wasn’t any room in the happy little camper. He received the keys to an empty house that came with a job at the family business. In epic fashion, he made it down there, worked a few days and then stopped showing up. He didn’t make it to the wedding or work again the following week…… there’s more to the story, but that is the summary. As it turns out, I’m not the reason he can’t keep a job. He’s soon to be homeless again, so please pray for him.
I guess another reason for all of my outdoor activities is that they help me cope with my anxieties. I am fond of saying that life is all about the simple things. The sunsets, the fall colors, the rivers and hikes. We just have to take it one day at a time.That’s all we can do. Never stop exploring.
My Little Red Bike 