I had planned on a bike ride today, but my dogs were looking sad. A trip to the park seemed to be the perfect remedy. It gave me an alternate way to get exercise and a chance to take some pictures.
I went to Charlestown State Park, where I’ve been many times. I usually hike on trail 2, the shortest and easiest. Since I’m in better shape now, I hit trail 1. It’s more rugged and 2.4 miles long. I could have easily done it a second time, but the dogs were ready to go home.
This park used to part of the now-defunct Indiana Ammunition Plant. Because of that, there are some weird ruins around. Before the ammunition plant, much of the area was farmland. So this is hardly “pristine forest”, but it’s still quite a nice area.
David,
Yep, the dogs need their fun as well. Good that you enjoyed the time with them.
Watch out for unexploded ordnance near there, though. I think they got it all out before the munitions plant closed for good…
Unexploded ordnance? That’s one way to lose weight. How much does a leg weigh anyway?
Just kidding on the unexploded part. They kept pretty good control over what they made…I think.
Some years back–I think it was 1998–Bizer’s Vision World sponsored a bike ride on the premises of the former Munitions Plant. There were mileage options up to sixty, I think, although it was all on the grounds, so we got to see some of the same stuff more than once or twice–after a while it got boring. Lots of cattle were roaming the area at the time, so there were bunches of cattle grates in the roadway. Apparently nobody was informed that most cattle won’t cross a grate that’s painted on the roadway once they’ve seen the real thing a couple times (cows know what they need to know, but otherwise aren’t very bright).
One guy, who I still see around LBC rides from time to time, commented to my friends and me that he liked his bike better than our recumbents because he could “bunny hop” over the grates–as if to say recumbents were far inferior to his bike. I couldn’t resist, and responded that for me, the other 99.9% of the time I was more comfortable without shorts that looked like a full diaper. Since then, he’s shown much more respect for recumbents…
Tom,
It would be neat to ride there. I’ve never been able to go in there. They had a bus tour last year. I didn’t get to go. I’d rather ride anyway. I highly doubt they’ll allow anyone in there again. I believe they are going to start demolition soon.
Oh, and don’t make fun of my shorts. 🙂 I wear padded shorts or tights on both bikes.
I might still have a pair of padded shorts somewhere–possibly the bib shorts I bought as an experiment some years ago. I haven’t used any on bicycle rides in years. On the Ryan, my shorts tend to be what I call “surf shorts,” nylon shorts with mesh liners, often sold in the swim suit section of Target/Meier’s-type stores. Plain tan color, in the main.
On the Bacchetta, I usually wear a linerless short from New Balance that has the cut of cycling shorts, but is made for runners. Since I don’t need the liner on my bike, I get to buy cheaper shorts.
The times I have ridden the Raleigh in warmer weather, I haven’t felt a need for padded shorts, so I’ll probably stick with the surf shorts.