Line Creek Trail -- Riverside, MO

For an R and R weekend in KC, we rode a couple of trails in the area.

On Saturday we rode the Line Creek Trail in Riverside, Mo. (North Kansas City). 

 We started our ride where the trail meets the Argosy Casino. We followed along the trail okay until we came to the intersection that has this neat clock tower.

There was really no signage indicating where to go from there.  But by remembering what we had read online about "going past the Sonic" and having that confirmed by a couple of cyclists who happened to pass by and kindly answered our question, we were back on the trail. 

It was a very nice tree-shaded trail that wound along beside Line Creek.

The creek had a couple of pretty waterfalls.

The trail sported more than a few hills to conquer......

...... a bizarre stairway to nowhere........

..... a crumbling little shack .......

and a shout out to Bon Jovi.

All told, we had a great 17 mile ride, the first one of many as we head back into bicycling season.

For supper we ate at Hog Jaw Friz BBQ. It was delish!

He had a half slab of ribs, BBQ beans and cheesy corn. 

She had a burnt ends sandwich and pickles, lots of pickles. Yum!

It was a great little family-owned business with cute decor. 

We especially loved the clocks above the doorway.  See what they did there?  :)

A couple hours after letting dinner settle, we had a late dessert at Yogurtini in the upscale Zona Rosa district.

He had peanut butter with Snickers, Reeses and I'm sure something else. 

She had salted caramel corn topped with caramel cups, Heath bars, pecans and caramel syrup. 
It was quite devine.

30 Days of Biking Challenge

We decided to join the 30 Days of Biking Challenge, in which you "pledge to ride your bike every day in April — any distance, any destination — and share your adventures online. Hashtag #30daysofbiking."
For every 30 pledges, the organizers plan to donate 1 bike to Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

April 1, 2015: Day 1 

So, I started my first ‪#‎30daysofbiking‬ challenge with a ride out to the prettiest street in my town right now. 5 miles.  ~~H

April 2, 2015: Day 2

Rode to the bank. Taking care of business. 5 mile ride on a beautiful morning.  ~~H

Galveston Seawall surrey ride -- Galveston Island, Tx

What was originally suppose to be a spring break trip for the family ended up being a trip for just me and my son Josh and his girlfriend.   Daughters had too much to do for school and athletics.  Other son had to work.  Wife had the flu.    So we went and spent 4 days on the beach.  Ate way too much, saw some dolphins and did some bike riding along the beach.

Lets start off with the house we stayed in.  It was a nice little cottage with 3 bedrooms that was only a couple of blocks away from the seawall and beach.   It had a deck on the back that prior to them building a hotel would have had a clear view of the ocean. 

 

 

It was way more house than we needed for just the three of us, but recall our original plan when we booked it was for the whole family to go on the trip.  Here are some pictures of what the inside looked like. 

Here we walked down to the seawall immediately after arriving so the kids could see the ocean.  You can see the boardwalk lit up behind them.

First day there we rented one of these for all three of us to ride along the seawall.  It was interesting having all three people pedaling in rhythm.  We rented all the bikes we used from Island Bicycle Company(http://www.islandbicyclecompany.com/)   We had rented from them on a previous trip and found them to be reasonably priced and very helpful. 

 

Famous Galveston Boardwalk we saw all lit up the night before.

After spending the day riding and walking along the seawall we chose to go to the other side of the island and have seafood at the Fisherman's Wharf. 

Cool view of the bay from our seat in the restaurant.   

Pondering what to order! 

I had the shrimp combo and it was scrumptious!  

 The kids shared a Mixed seafood grill!

The second day started kind of cloudy and rainy so we decided to go take the Dolphin boat tour.

Started out passing the Fisherman's Wharf restaurant from the bay side!

We saw lots of birds fishing in the bay!

Watching anxiously for some Dolphins! 

Our captain who knew right where the Dolphins would be.  We also got a history lesson on Galveston Bay. 

There be Dolphins! 

For the afternoon the kids wanted to go explore by themselves so I rented a bike to ride along the seawall. 

Was looking for items for that month Bicycle Ride and Seek, needed a picture with a Red building as I recall.

Another Ride and Seek find along the Seawall.  Something Gold! 

 

Condo at the end of the Seawall

The far western end of Seawall! This combined with a previous visit to Galveston finished up riding the entire seawall. 

Met up with the kids for dinner at Miller's Seawall Grill!(http://millersseawallgrill.com/)  We ate there both times we have been to the Island and very much enjoyed the food each time! 

The Seawall Special! Yum!

The final day we were there we woke up to rain and fog again so we decided to head back early.  On our way thru Dallas it was necessity to stop and eat here!

Had to have the Double! Yum!

Had a fun trip with just my son and his now fiance! 

VIDEO of our trip: 

Map of my Seawall bike ride!

Create Routes or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRide

Bike gets a gender transformation

My bike has been in the shop -- the *paint* shop -- for 3 months. Tonight I had an email notifying me that my new "she-bike" is finally completed and ready to pick up. Major transformation! I wanted my bike to be girlier and say "this is me" more than the testosterone-heavy look it had before. I think I got my wish! :) Neon pink, sparkly, white wall tires, and custom lettering designed by me, with a saying that expresses the love of riding that I have redisovered. My bike is truly one of a kind now. There is not another one like it. Looking at her just makes me so very happy!

 

Thank you to Groody Bros. Bicycle Restoration in Kansas City for working such magic. 

And thank you to my husband for being willing to accommodate my splurge on this utter indulgence!