Today = Cold and snow. XP

Yesterday wasn't exactly warm either, but it was better than today.

It was pretty chill when I got up and paid the bills. It was better when I
started layering up to go biking with my wife and other folks from my bikeMS
team. Then when I went outside to prep our bikes, I was pleasantly
surprised by the warmth of the sun.

Right about noon, Rebecca and I rode out the driveway and over to Mike and
Patti's house. They had generously volunteered to host not only the ride
start, but surprise cake and ice cream for Chris's daughter Cassidy. Al was
already there when we arrived, and then Tim came over from next door with
his daughter Nina. Chirs and Cassidy arrived, and when she _finally_ came
inside, she was very surprised. Plus she got a new bike - her first one without a coaster brake.

So a little while later, all fuelled up on cake and ice cream, Patti, Mike,
Rebecca, Al, Chris, Cassidy and I all set out for the Walk+Roll event
downtown. OK, Patti was only scootering up to CVS, but she rode out with
us, anyway.

A block or two after Patti turned off, as we waited to regroup, three other
ride came up on us: Nicholas, who works at my second job with me, his wife
Marie, and their friend Ben. After a small amount of persuading, we
convinced them to join us on our way. :-) The more the merrier, right?

We rode down a few more backstreets, then down Edgehill and across the new Cornell Rd overpass (still closed to cars, but open to pedestrians and bikes. Be careful at the north end of the bridge, though! It's not a smooth transition through there yet.) At some point as we cruise past the back side of UH and up Adelbert, Chris and Cassidy decided to turn back.

The rest of us were treated to the 'new' Euclid Avenue bike lanes. I think they've been there since last summer sometime. Anyway, they were great discovery for some of us, a new adventure for all, I think, at least this far east. Marie had just been wishing for bike lanes on Adelbert, too. :-) They were comfortably wide, remarkably clean, and in retrospect, I was shocked at how few times we were stopped at red lights! I was disappointed that the lanes ended somewhere as we rode through the CSU campus, but there's still miles of bike lane that I'd never ridden before.

We passed Sam and Laura (teammates) going the other way on our way downtown.

So I was under the impression that the Walk+Roll event was stretching all the way from Public Square to Playhouse Square. I was a little worried as we rolled up on Playhouse Square and I didn't see much of anything going on, and then suddenly, to my right, there were ponies! Real, live, tiny ponies so small I could straddle them and still not be sitting on them. This was the "Designarosa" set up by Pop-Up City at 13th and Euclid. They had the band Heelsplitter, free food and drink, info on upcoming Walk+Rolls, some merchadise to sell, and a table from the Hooper farm in Tremont. It was pretty slick set up, if smaller than I had imagined.

While I was there I was introduced to Al's friend Brandon, who is interested in Pedalling to the Point with Patti's Paladins this summer. I also met Brandon's girl, but I am embarrassed to tell you that I forgot her name.

Rebecca and I also made the aquaintance of the fencer Sara. She was dressed up in period clothes with a cape and a sword and drawn-on mustache and beard. Very fun.

Then across the street on Star Plaza, there was bike decorating and hula-hooping and sidewalk chalk and hopscotch, all presided over by Genna, who has been a "people I may know" for months, and is now a person I DO know. :-)

I also got to shake hands with a couple of guys i've met at Ohio City Bike Co-op events, and then ran into Kevin (yes, yet another teammate) and got to catch up with him for a few minutes before the temperature started to drop and force us all on our way.

All in all, biking with old friends and making new friends was a very pleasant way to spend a very pleasant afternoon.

This coming weekend is shot for me doing holiday family things, so I won't be organizing a ride.
Next, ideally, will likely be the east side Ride for the Earth from Shaker Square to the Zoo hosted by OCBC and Earth Day Coalition. http://www.earthdaycoalition.org/documents/W-B09Sml.pdf

I'm also told to look for some GPS-based scavenger hunts, breakfast rides and a trip to a delicious muffin shop later this summer. I can't wait!