When I moved out to the Hudson Valley, I had hoped to achieve something in my life, simplicity. Although buying a house doesn't exactly get rid of the responsibility of a mortgage, it does add a little stability. When you want simplicity, you also need stability. I haven't always been a stable person in the sense of where I live. I have moved to three different places in the last three years and have traveled plenty in between to almost render myself unstable every two months. When I return home from a trip, I find myself within the next week planning a trip somewhere else, often a place where I need to see people, family or friends, and often work comes along with me.

While living in New England, I've loved spending my free time venturing out by bike into quaint towns and local diners to get a feel of the area. Riding through quiet back country roads dotted with peaceful villages and views of mountains, lakes, and ocean: New England has become my favorite cycle touring destination. Throughout North East states, abandoned railway lines are now cycle routes. There are also trails in conservation areas that can accommodate any style of riding terrain from road to mountain.

As I'm hopping on my bike and heading from town to town, the sounds of rushing air, chirping birds, and running water fills my ears as well as the appreciation for the quaint scenery. New England country sides with picturesque villages, farms, rivers, ocean views, and forests make a great weekend of bike touring adventure. To help you find your next bike tour destination in New England, I've rounded up a few sites to help you guide your next visit to the most picturesque states of New England.

 birthdays are amazing when you're able to be with the people you want to be with, doing the exact things you want to do. i couldn't have asked for anything better than an adventure through the north bay, biking, hiking, beach bumming, and eating delicious food and ice cream by the water. there where lots of relaxing moments in between to just enjoy the loved company and beautiful surroundings that gulfed us in awe. 

 Saturday, we rented a car and stopped a few places to hike through, then drove out to Stinson beach where we were able to have a nice walk and relax by the waves. the life that was there is absolutely amazing, so many people having a great time under the sun, enjoying the outdoors and each other. it's always refreshing to rediscover these parts that are so near home, it makes me wonder why i don't go out on these trips as often as i would like to.

Sunday turned out to be a bike adventure throughout the city to Sausalito. i've done this trip before the new bike path was developed on the GG bridge and down it, which makes a world of a difference on this experience. the challenge of riding steep hills and getting wind blown just makes the experience a delight. when you have loved ones or friends in town, it's always a good idea to show them the wonders of riding the golden gate bridge to Sausalito. it' was a wonderful challenge that was rewarded with ice cream then a trip back to Fisherman's Warf for some IN-N-Out Burger's. the weather was perfect for a weekend like this and i couldn't have asked for any birthday gift better than the person who joined me on this birthday adventure.

also, thank you all for the birthday wishes. much appreciated. hope you had a great weekend.

xoxo

Summer Bike Touring

hooray for some beautiful weather to count on as i plan a nice ride to Muir Beach with friends today. have any of you biked the route from SF to Muir Beach route before? anything i should know about or plan while i make this tour? i found some great resources online and feel somewhat confident about it. it's been a while since i've done a bike tour but it's that time of year for it. i got a couple of emails recently asking for guides about doing tours around the bay. from my past and recent research, here are some great suggestions and resources.

Bike and Roll: bike rental shop and gives really great direction for self guided bike tours throughout the Bay Area.
Stinson Beach Loop: for those who want to take a challenging ride and cool off at the beach.
Bay Trails: a comprehensive Bay Area bike tour guide of various bike routes covering 300 miles of bike trails. I usually use this site for all my tours.
Post-Car Adventuring: I used this guide last year for my trip out to Samuel P. Taylor Park. was an excellent reference and gave some inside knowledge of places to see, eat, and rest at.

hope this helps, happy bike touring!