Sunday morning we lazily ate breakfast at the Hotel and watched some Entourage before packing up to leave. I had some coffee (it hit the spot), Michael had tea and the cheese omelet.
I ordered the Mexican Scramble: scrambled eggs with black beans, onions, red and green peppers, spicy Chorizo sausage, Cotija cheese and green salsa! I loved it. It arrived on two crispy tortillas and everything was delish.
It was also huge! After breakfast we checked out, loaded the car and drove a bit out of town. We parked near the Cathedral Winery because we planned on going for a bike ride on the back country roads. We got out of the car and it was sunny, the air was super chilly, and the wind was pretty strong. We decided to head back to Portland instead and ride there.
We parked near the Springwater Corridor (the 40 mile loop through town) and got on the bikes. I wanted to ride East a little bit to make the ride longer. We biked East on the trail for a few miles but we were eating a headwind the entire time. At first I was worried: I thought, “Oh my gosh I am in BAD shape” but the wind was pretty strong.
It was such a gorgeous day in Portland! And much warmer than it was in Hood River. Riding East we were clocking about 12 mph on the bike. Once we turned around and headed West we were at 16 mph. It was much easier heading in that direction.
It was such a wonderfully sunny day. It’s amazing how much my mood improves with a little Vitamin D. It was the first ride outside since last Fall. I was so glad to be back on the bike, and not inside on the bike trainer. We both have a LONG way to go before we’ll be ready for the Portland Century.
We rode down the trail towards Sellwood and ended up stopping at Pizzicato for lunch.
Stats for the first part of the ride:
Time: 49 minutes
Calories Burned: 316
I got a slice of the Puttanesca pizza–basically a Greek pizza with feta, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. YUM! It’s my favorite slice of theirs.
So yummy! Michael got a slice and a salad. My breakfast was so big that I didn’t really need more than just the one slice.
I took Saturday off from counting calories, but Sunday I was back at it. I estimated my breakfast calories, added the slice (280 calories) plus the calories I burned riding. My knee was bugging me this weekend. I have no idea why but I’m trying not to stress about it just yet.
After we were done eating we rode back to the car.
Stats:
Time: 18
Calories Burned: 95
The ride back to the car was short and fast. I felt good about our first time on the bike after so long. I do think it will be somewhat slow getting back the bike fitness I lost this winter though.
We got home, unpacked and spent the rest of the day doing stuff around the house. Michael did yard work, I cleaned the whole house and did tons of laundry, dyed my hair and organized weekend photos. I had a fantastic weekend! It was a nice start to Spring!
By the way, my friend Kristin ran Boston today! I’m super excited for her and looking forward to hearing about her time in Boston!
QUESTION: Do you ever ride your bike to restaurants? And are you watching the Boston footage?
Carbzilla
Looks like a totally smart move coming back to bike. Good thinkin’.
We’ve biked to Red Hook brewery (10 miles each way) and had a burger on the patio. We were just talking to friends yesterday about doing it again. It was supposed to be partly sunny and 50 degrees today, and so far it’s freezing and poured a snow/rain mix. Lovely.
We’ll know in a little bit if we’ll be in town for the Century. Chris is trying to put together something big for my birthday later that week so a lot will depend on whether those plans come through.
See you soon!
Lisa Eirene
We actually do it a lot in the summer time–I am much more willing to go to a restaurant to eat if we bike there and back. It’s a fun way to fit in exercise, get some bike practice AND I don’t feel guilty about restaurant eating. It’s also pretty easy to do in Portland. There’s so many trails, bike lanes and good restaurants in every neighborhood…there’s really no excuse not to.
It was sunny this morning, then it rained, then hailed, now it’s sunny again. Boo. I thought the weather was improving!
Hope you guys can do the Century but if it doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other bike rides!
Lori
What a nice ride! We love to bike for meals or coffee or frozen yogurt. It breaks up the ride and gives it more of a purpose than just exercise.
Lisa Eirene
I do too! Breaking up a bike ride with a lunch or dinner makes it easier to bike a lot longer and further with a rest in between!
Lisa
Two of my favourite things – biking and pizza!!!!
Lisa Eirene
Two of my favorite things too! 🙂
Alan (Pounds Off Playoff)
What a great day – pizza and a great ride! I’m gunshy about street riding, which holds me back, but we do have a trail here that runs by a lot of restaurants. Will have to try it.
Lisa Eirene
Alan, I am too. Especially after all winter long being stuck in the house. We did mostly the Springwater trail (no cars) and just a few blocks of street riding to get acclimated again. I am a nervous biker. Like I can ride but my anxiety level when we have to ride with the cars (no bike lanes) is awful!
Give your trail a try and let me know how it goes!