There is something to be said for cruising on your bicycle. This evening, I did just that with my Dad near his home in Hollywood Park. We had a great time!

Dad’s bike is a mighty fine 24-speed Electra Townie. It’s a sweet ride and cruising is what a Townie does best.

We started the ride about 07:00pm and proceeded to endure an ambient temperature in the upper 90′s. Fortunately, most of the ride was in the welcome shade that comes easily to an older, established neighborhood.

We saw fawns (white-tailed deer almost outnumber humans in Hollywood Park), squirrels and a variety of birds. Mom had given us each a bottle of Gatorade Frost and we guzzled it down at the tops of the 2-3 hills we encountered on the ride.

I took the opportunity to get my heart rate up by attacking some of the hills by standing on the bicycle while Dad took advantage of his wide-range of speeds to keep his cadence smooth during the climbs.

When it was all said and done, we’d ridden almost 5 1/2 miles.
(View the ride courtesy Motionbased.com).

We worked up quite a sweat but had an enjoyable, peaceful ride in a beautiful neighborhood. It was a nice reminder that cycling isn’t always about riding 30+ miles or trying to maintain an average speed of 16mph. Sometimes its about getting out to breath fresh (albiet hot) air and spending some quality time with family.

Thanks for the great ride Dad!

PS: Mom, no excuses next time. Your silver Townie will demand that you accompany us on the next ride!