Welcome!

In my opinion, the meaning of life is to find happiness. Sources of my happiness include bike rides, exploring cities by foot, delicious craft beer, tasty edible treats, festivals, events, celebrations, people, and culture. This blog began as a way to share my adventures with family and friends when I lived in Germany for six months. When I returned to the US, I realized that I still love to explore and there are plenty of opportunities for bike riding, beer drinking, eating, and celebrating here too. So my adventure continues...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Change happens fast...

As the famous Ferris Bueller has said "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

For me, the changes happened fast. In the time span of four months I graduated college, got married, honeymooned in CA, moved into a townhouse in MN, got my first full-time job, and bought my first road bike.

My cycling career is underway on a 2011 Raleigh Capri 3.0, aluminum frame with carbon fork and Shimano 105 all around. 

Although I have been riding bikes for quite some time now, getting into cycling takes a bit more effort. I have had the bike for four days now:
Day 1: It rained cats and dogs and I barely got the thing home before the storm.
Day 2: I rode just a few miles around the neighborhood getting a feel for the bike and getting used to the clipless shoes. Yay! I did not fall down.
Day 3: I enjoyed a 28 mile ride on a MN state trail east of St. Paul
Day 4: I am resting my slightly-sore tushy, counting down the days until my new shorts from Performance Bike arrive in the mail.

To best prepare myself for the world of cycling, I am beginning some reading: The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair and The Complete Book of Road Cycling and Racing.

Trust me, this blog will get more interesting!