Roman Silchester

Got a bike! Now I can explore this place properly, and at a reasonable pace. Running down alleys, nooks and crannies, and running down random country roads and trails just for the hell of it...that's what a bike does for ya.

My sick, new ride. I introduce, The Kona Lisa.

My riding buddy, Simon, ripping it up in Roman Silchester.

First proper exploration adventure was from Reading to Ancient Roman Silchester. One of the best preserved Roman towns in Britain, the original wall still exists all the way around this place, and you can explore it by foot, or bike. More than 2000 years old and free for everyone to access, it's a really cool place to explore: llamas in the fields down the middle, an open excavation in one of the fields, and a really cool open Amphitheatre that you can wander right into.  We ate our picnic lunch on the walls of the North Gate, rode our bikes round the single track and atop the walls surrounding the ancient town, raced around the Amphitheatre, and checked out St. Mary's Church. We finished off our adventure with a beer at The Red Lion just outside of Silchester, and a steady ride home to beat the on-coming rain.

The North Gate.

Doesn't everyone drink their Ale with a spoon*?  The Red Lion pub. (Thanks Simon for taking this photo!)

*Thanks to Christine and Simon for the Light My Fire Spork they gave me for my birthday. I left mine at home!!

You can't teach an old dog...

No, no, no...I'm not implying my mom's a dog. Ha! Not at all...it's just that...she's never learned to ride a bike. So trying to teach her is nothing short of hilarious.

Just at the parent's house for a few days (my room is still my room - does that mean it's still considered home for me? - if so I think I have many homes...) in Ontario - catching up on sleep, nutrition and hangin' with the 'rents. Went for a bike ride yesterday along the waterfront trail in Ajax...perfect weather and really sweet along there - especially if you pretend that Lake Ontario is the ocean, and anything you see bobbing up and down in the near distance is a whale fin. :)

I rode about 14 km with my dad - not on a bicycle built for two - he rides his own - and my mom walked along the trail. We returned to find my mom sitting on a bench after her walk, so got her to take a few shots with my camera. Then convinced her that trying to get on the bike was a good idea and then somehow got her to lift up her feet as I ran along beside her telling her to "pedal!" Hahaha...what a show.

My sweet ride. "Stealth". Waterfront Trail, Ajax, Ontario. May 2011.

Token self-portrait - and a helmet for my noggin. Waterfront Trail, Ajax, Ontario. May 2011. 

Bike Riding Lessons? Waterfront Trail, Ajax, Ontario. May 2011.