Fifty Plus (50+) - Riding in a new area

For me, I never really feel like I am truly at home in an area until I have ridden around in it. Driving or walking just doesnt do it. Maybe it's the inherent risks in biking that makes one feel like you have beaten the place. I'm not sure, but biking sure changes the feel of a place (for the better) for me. Anyone else get this one?

biking sure changes the feel of a place (for the better) for me. Anyone else get this one?

Big Time...

For me, I never really feel like I am truly at home in an area until I have ridden around in it. Driving or walking just doesnt do it. Maybe it's the inherent risks in biking that makes one feel like you have beaten the place. I'm not sure, but biking sure changes the feel of a place (for the better) for me. Anyone else get this one?
Sure do. When driving, I tend to take the shortest route to an arterial through street. On my bike, I try to avoid arterial streets, and therefore, I have to learn my way around the side streets.

For me, I never really feel like I am truly at home in an area until I have ridden around in it. Driving or walking just doesnt do it. Maybe it's the inherent risks in biking that makes one feel like you have beaten the place. I'm not sure, but biking sure changes the feel of a place (for the better) for me. Anyone else get this one?


Agreed. Going through the process of selecting the appropriate route and roads really helps to learn the area. I've lived in the same area for 15 years and am just really learning my way around. It really comes in handy when I'm in a car and high traffic jams up the normal routes.

Having done the Bicycle Ride Across Geogia fourteen times and many organized rides all over the state, almost any time I drive my family anywhere in the state, I'll see places that I rode my bike through. Often it will be an area that I don't really remember being, but I'll get that feeling that I've been here before. My wife reall goes nuts when I start describing the roads that lead to where we are and the roadkill I saw just around that curve.

My wife reall goes nuts when I start describing the roads that lead to where we are and the roadkill I saw just around that curve.

Isn't it nice when you go for a ride and lunch is provided.

I've been living in the same valley since 1987. Just last Sunday I took a couple of new turns on my bike ride and found a beautiful two lane road through a small adjacent valley that I didn't even know existed. Plus, it was a nice alternate return home from my normal route. Fabulous scenery, light traffic, almost no bikes.

Gotta love that.

When I was a kid we just jumped on the bikes and stuck out in any old direction, never really caring about where we were gonna end up or how we were gonna get home. It wasn't till later, as an adult, that I worried about such things and hesitated to just wander. Sunday I just decided to be a kid again and wander up what I thought was a dead end canyon, and late in the day, to boot. It sure paid off.

:D