Going for a Ride

Bike rides have been the highlight of my fall and the one thing I look forward to every Sunday. I've fallen off the bandwagon with everything else. I haven't run more than twice since the half-marathon, and I just returned to the swim team.

My Sundays got better four weeks ago when I decided that I was bored with my easier route. I decided that I didn't care about what I'd feel like on Monday. I decided that I was going to ride my "super hill" route -- a route that is both challenging with three hills on one road alone (they don't call it Murray Hill for nothing) and rewarding with bucolic views of a cow pasture, a horse center, fall foliage, and less-traveled roads. Then http://www.mapmyride.com/ became a frequently visited site as I searched for the favorite routes of other cyclists and created routes of my own as I sought to gradually extend my route.

Today was the first blustery fall ride with temps in the mid-40s and a strong headwind that made it feel much cooler and made pedaling a challenge. Every cyclist I passed waved "hi!"

I hope the weather holds because with cycling, I know where I'm going.

Gunnison, Colorado

Here's to wishing I was there, and knowing that I probably won't be. I think I finally understand what's so great about this place.

Inspiration

Created with Inspiration, one of my favorite programs for note-taking. SLP Barbara Ehren uses Inspiration to create diagrams to tell her audience what she's going to talk about before launching into a presentation, which I think is a great way to teach and present. This vision was inspired by her closing keynote address at the 2003 Schools Conference.