My First (Sub)urban Assault

Yesterday I attempted my first suburban assault ride in Alpharetta.  For those (like me) unfamiliar with this term, it’s an “open” ride along unmarked trails, power easements, random fields, business parks, and anyplace else you can think to take a mountain bike.  A buddy of mine invited me to one earlier this week, and I had no idea what to expect.  With planned obstacles like the “Dips of Doom,” “Wall of Shame” and “Satan’s Steps” I figured I’d come home battered, bruised and bloody.  It ended being a very fun 12-mile trek through our suburb, one which was certainly challenging but had a good balance of rock, dirt, gravel and pavement to keep it fun and interesting.  (My buddy, who seemed to be the main coordinator/instigator, is the type who will point out very random “trails” and shoot off to investigate them.  We did a few of those yesterday as well.)

No bruises, and the only blood was from a thorn bush I accidently rode through.

Would I go back?  Most certainly.  It’s not every day I get to try the Dips of Doom, after all!

(In my mind’s eye, this is exactly what I looked like during the ride.)

Eight years and counting...

Yesterday Esther and I celebrated our 8th anniversary... Eight years already!  Time flies when you're moving 4 times, changing jobs and having a child!  In honor of the anniversary we decided on our "new" annual tradition (i.e. this was the 2nd year in a row) of dinner at Sage in Alpharetta followed by a new-release movie.  Last year it was Transformers.  Yes, I realize that Transformers doesn't scream, "Happy Anniversary, honey!" but she enjoyed it... Honestly!  This year we debated between Wall-E and Hancock; since Wall-E was playing at the not-as-desirable UA theatre we chose Hancock at AMC.  Will Smith certainly "owns" July 4th flicks; Hancock was a laugh-out-loud funny movie, especially when you factor in the hilariousness of Jason Bateman.  Finally, we wrapped the night with a sundae and some coffee at Steak n' Shake, reliving some memories from early in our relationship.



Happy Anniversary, Esther - I love the life we've built for ourselves and Gabriel.



(Sage took great care of us... They asked if we were celebrating anything, so when we told them it was our 8th anniversary they decorated the oil plate and also gave us a delicious and complimentary crème brûlée, flight of champagne and a nice painted plate.) 

It's not what you do, it's who you do it with.

This weekend was marked by my niece’s first visit to Atlanta. After not seeing us since Christmas (and by us I mean Gabriel), my parents decided to make the trip to Atlanta and brought Gracyn with them. (My single-parent sister just started a new job- yea! – and couldn’t take the time off.) So they packed up for a few days and took a “Rocket Ship!” to the ATL.

When we first heard about their plans to come for the weekend we started thinking about all of the places we could take them. Coca-Cola! The Georgia Aquarium! The Children’s Museum! They were only really staying the weekend, flying in Friday afternoon and flying back to Chicago Monday morning, so we were looking at filling 2 days with kid-friendly activities. (Gracyn is 10 days older than Gabriel.) After much deliberation we decided on going to Alpharetta’s “Touch a Truck” event on Saturday, and took the kids to the barn where Esther boards her horse on Sunday.

We found out that we didn’t need major plans to have a good time after all. The kids had a great time climbing up into a fire truck, big-rig and Yellow Bus at our local event. And at the barn, although they both had a good time getting up on Esther’s horse with her, they were also happy running through the fields and playing in the dirt. In fact, we might have been able to stay at the house the entire weekend, since they were also content playing in the backyard, or, as Gracyn calls it, “Gabriel’s Park.”

They had a blast. So did we. It was a great visit, and I’m bummed the kids don’t get to see more of each other.

I have thoughts... And I hope you want to hear them.

Dear Diary,
Dear Interwebz,

Hi.

I have thoughts (apparently!). For sometime now I’ve been thinking about joining this general community of bloggers. It’s not that I have complex thoughts, necessarily, but just enough random musings that I’d like to get them on paper. I considered getting a journal, one of those nice leather-bound Hemingway jobs, but it’s not like I’m planning to write the next great novel. I’m no Dostoyevsky, as you'll soon realize. Plus, I’ve been reading lately that we’re becoming an increasingly paperless society.

(Note to self – Switch to online banking, start using e-tickets when I travel, and cancel my subscription to the NY Times.)

Thus, a blog.

I actually finalized my decision to start a blog while on a bike ride this past weekend. Until recently, my rides consisted of a few miles on the Alpharetta Greenway, which is about 10 miles of paved trails for jogging, walking and biking. For whatever reason, I couldn’t bring myself to start riding on actual roads. However, one of my goals this year is to get more active in my cycling, and there’s no way I can do that and also constrain myself to the easiest 10 miles I can find. If I decide to try a half-century ride later this year, I can’t go from a 10-mile trail to attempting 50 miles of real road, complete with uneven surfacing and (gasp!) hills.

Plus, now that I’ve decided to start cycling on the “mean streets of Alpharetta,” I find myself with more thoughts floating around since I don’t think it’s wise to play my iPod when (1) cars are zipping past me at 50 mph and (b) the road simply requires more concentration than the trails. (As an aside, did you know that even paved roads are sometimes bumpy?)

What struck me during my ride this week was how much of Alpharetta I’ve been missing in my car. For example, I honestly didn’t realize there was a pretty large park only 2 miles north of my house. I’ve been living in Alpharetta now for three years and never noticed the giant park staring me in the face! What a shame. I also didn’t realize how hilly our landscape is; it’s much more noticeable when you’re on a bike going 32 mph downhill and trying to bike up the subsequently steep incline. It was a “forest for the trees” kind of ride, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of Alpharetta on bike. If you’re a cyclist, chances are you’ve had similar thoughts; if you’re not, I challenge you to think more like a rider when you’re on your next Sunday drive wherever you live. And don’t forget to share the road.