Bike Ride Date in the Canyon!

Ha.  You were probably thinking this was a date with a NON-RELATIVE boy, but guess what... my most enjoyable dates seem to be with my nephews, dad, or brother.  So... until some magical boy decides to show up for me, I'll continue to have fun with the current men in my life.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

We couldn't have picked a more perfect day to go biking in Provo canyon.  The leaves have changed, the skies were blue, and it really felt like a warm, summer day!  I loved it.  Everything around us was beautiful.

We rode from the mouth of the canyon up to Vivian Park, which only took us about 32 minutes.  Not bad at all!  For some reason I had been expecting it to be much farther away and wasn't sure how physically exhausted I would be.  Obviously I psyched myself out, because this ride was great!  A good, steady uphill, which meant a fun and easy downhill the whole way back.

We hung out at the park for an hour or so-- if only we'd been able to strap a frisbee to our bikes!  It was perfect weather and I was itching to play.  But instead, we talked about my pathetic financial situation and Nathan gave me a good "Personal Finances 101" session and many helpful hints.  He's supposed to e-mail me with a summary of what we talked about (*ahem Nathan*) so I can remember all his good advice and really put it to use.  I appreciate his knowledge, experience, and expertise in an area where I definitely could use some help!  There's nothing like discussing your finances with your brother who's 6 years younger than you. :)

I was so happy the leaves were so colorful!  The mountains were so bright and vibrant.

I paid careful attention to the trail and the uphill/downhill portions because this is the very course I will be running for the half-marathon in 2 weeks!  I really love that the majority of the trail is lined with color-changing trees, or the Provo River gushing along.  It was peaceful and lovely.  I just hope I can enjoy it that much when I'm running.  Even on my bike, towards the end, I could fore-see where my "I'M SO EXHAUSTED" points will be, and where I'll have to tell myself to just keep pushing it because the end is in sight.  

Action shot of Nathan.  Yee haw.

Overall, we had a fantastic adventure.  There were all kinds of people out-- bikers, runners, walkers, roller-bladers (Yay!  I'm not the only one!)  Long-boarders, etc.  But for most of the ride we could just stay side-by-side and chat away about life.  Nathan and I have always been close friends-- even when we were little-- I was always on his side. :)  I'm glad we're still good buddies.  I think we need to do these kinds of outings more often.  

It was a good day!