Inspired by last year's New York City adventure, I had a general idea to visit family in southern Connecticut, then board a ferry with the Dahon to explore Greenport and Montauk regions on the tip of Long Island. As I age, coastal communities - and of course sandy beaches - are appealing to me.
I'm also interested in attending the Philly Bike Expo and riding Philadelphia area trails. (Thank you MG for the ideas!) It would be my first attendance at a bike-related trade show plus an inaugural visit to Philadelphia, easily reached via Amtrak. I'm hoping a son or two might enjoy a long train excursion and weekend with mom.
But then my husband suggested a European hiking adventure, the Tour de Mont Blanc, which is too good to pass up! I picture rebonding with my husband on this famed, picturesque journey, a region we passed through during our 1990s around the world trip, then revisited 5 years later for day hikes near Chamonix. Though the 100+ mile circuit would eat up my meager two weeks vacation, now that our children are self sufficient, and if the logistics work out, that's where I'm headed this summer.
The Long Island foray make take a backseat, but I'm still considering the Philly Bike Expo vacation. And if not, either outing can be revisited another time. Plus, always at the back of my mind is to attend bike school in Colorado - some day!
On the home front, I have visions of overnights 10-20 miles from home, plus an annual weekend visiting Canadian trails and back roads.
Bike wise, my primary focus this year is on the Dahon. I appreciate it's versatility and it's obvious benefits while traveling by train. Plus, with the right baggage setup the folder can do double-duty as a commuter.
Tasks/ideas/thoughts on the Dahon's makeover:
- Install new tires (that I bought last spring!)
- Sew/reuse material to create bags for the folder. I have ideas and I recently stripped, cleaned, and cut up an old backpack for this project.
- Explore how to easily lower the Dahon's gearing (new front chain ring?), while keeping the 1x set up.
Who knows how 2019 will turn out? At least I have some goals to work towards...
They sound like a bunch of good goals Annie.....
ReplyDeleteI've often thought about Barnett's myself (of course, it's a lot closer for me to get there, I do understand). I just think it would be so great to get that education... of course, I'm about as inept as one can get when it comes to bikes (though I do try my hardest to do tasks I can manage).
ReplyDeleteSounds as though you have some fun adventures in store this year, Annie! Very excited to see what comes about for you, but no matter what, I'm sure any one of these would be a blast!!
Two weeks vacation is just not enough time to do everything I want to do each year. Since returning to a full-time job 4 years ago, I struggle with limited vacation and it's not acceptable to take off more time as unpaid leave.
DeleteAttending bike school is something I've been wanting to do for many years, mainly, as you say, for the education, but also for the experience. I love Colorado and I envision exploring the area before and after the session.
Colorado Springs is particularly lovely for riding (and hiking), so I can see why you'd want to explore while getting some educational goodness in at the same time.
DeleteIt is unfortunate when employers are unwilling to permit unpaid time off. I generally (with few exceptions) don't understand why this is such a big deal? I know this is changing (slowly, and not everywhere), but it truly doesn't seem like it's end-of-the-world if an employee wants to take extra time off and is willing to take it unpaid. One of my biggest peeves when I worked outside of the house was that I couldn't leave when my work was done. If I'm paid a salary, does it matter if I can do it faster than someone else? I always viewed it as being paid to do a job, not for the number of hours I sat at a desk. But... most employers don't see it in the same light, which is a big bummer. I always hope that if/when I ever return to the corporate world things will have changed, but I don't see that as a likely possibility.
Anyway, I do hope that you're able to get everything in, even if it doesn't all happen this year. You have some potentially very exciting things in the works!
I couldn't believe how little paid holiday you Americans got when my son, who worked there a few years ago, told me. The minimum here is 28 days. I hope you manage to achieve at least some of your goals.
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