My favorite time of the Texas year is Spring. That is the best bike riding weather and the prettiest flowers on the hillsides. The “Greater Dallas Bike Ride” happens to be the second weekend in April, what a perfect time to see the flowers at a slow pace. This ride heads out from the square in Lancaster, south-south-east of Dallas, with a coordinated start at the old town gazebo. So you better get with your starting group and ready for a fast start heading east then south from old downtown. Our group this year was the 42 milers at 15 mph and we, my brother, my biking buddy and I, were set at the front for a great day. Bang, the long distant fast riders left, then the slower long distance riders, and then it was our turn to hit the pedals.
Out beyond the airport the countryside turns to pastures and fields of beauty. As you make your way basically south, the first rest stop allows you to load on more energy food, then the turn west, a second rest stop and more energy food and finally north get ready for the beautiful rolling hills and mini ranches. As your legs burn to the top of the hills the reward is awesome then the recovery happens as a result of the display of picturesque blue bonnets that is laid out before you. Up each hill is a new reward. The clear sunny day and the 42 miles of riding completed.
Our group, the 3 of us congratulated each other on a great ride and lots of pictures with the promise to share. As I drove home I thought I need to share this experience with my wife. As she viewed the pictures I said, “Do you want to drive the bike route tomorrow and look at the blue bonnets?” She looked at me in surprise and said “Of course I do!”! After church on Sunday we loaded the dogs into the car, with some drinks for all of us and headed back of to the “Greater Dallas Bike Ride” route. As we drove the hills as a very slow pace, about the same as the bike, we were again awed by the sight of the blue bonnets. As we crested one of the hills, we both looked at each and said, “Isn’t that your brother’s car?” Sure enough, we both had the same idea, we needed another look at the blue bonnets with our spouses. The picture taking started again and the stories continued of the ride that happened yesterday.
