And so the adventure begins for 2013 ...

After 18 hours driving straight through, Amw and Alex had already checked in to the hotel and had bought three pies, ready for our dining pleasure on “Pi Day”,  a nice ending to a long drive. I’m not mentioning any names, but Kelsey Correa never showed for our reunion, canceling at the last minute. Allen joined us the next morning about 10. We had a great time reminiscing about the rides we’ve been on, and laughing at ourselves. 

Friday morning, we slept in late, had breakfast in the hotel, then headed to downtown Nashville where we ran into March Madness. We found a nice place to hang out for lunch and avoided the crowds downtown. Then over to the Vine Street Christian Church we went, to check in for the official start of the Spring Ride, and a reunion with Jason, Turbo, Sarah, Ryan, and Melissa. 

Saturday morning orientation started with get acquainted games, as we attempted to learn the other riders’ names and a little bit about them. Then we put on our riding clothes and took off for our practice/get acquainted with how we ride, ride. Turbo and I were sweeps today, and I actually have a rider on this adventure I can keep up with. I ride in the Boulder, Colorado area (which just happens to be the fittest city in the U.S.) and I often tease riders as they ALL catch and pass me, “Why aren’t there any 85 year old women out here I might be able to keep up with?” Well, we now have an 85 year old guy on the ride I can keep up with (so far). Now if we can get a few more really old riders, not young guys like me!?!

I think we have about 33 adventurers on this trip, and learning names is a real challenge for me. We get to know each other in our “street” clothes, then we dress for riding (adding sunglasses and helmets) and I have to figure out the names of the same people again, as they all now look completely different in “bike” clothes. But, as usual, it seems like a great group of people assembled to make a difference in our troubled world.

Peace ...