Recreational & Family - How was your recreational ride today?

How many miles do you usually go on a recreational ride ? Do you just ride from home, locally or put the bike on the bike rack and go somewhere special ?

I haven't been riding my single as much as I would like lately due to a wrist/thumb problem (that I hope will be solved soon). :( I have lived in San Diego all my life and have only been to Santee Lakes once about 25 years ago. I love exploring so today I decided to go find it again. At first I couldn't find the street it was off of so instead I headed to another open preserve area that I go to all the time. On the way back I was determined to find Santee Lakes and finally did. It was so pretty I rode around it three times and by the time I got back home I had racked up 40 miles. I haven't done 40 miles on my single in almost a year, so I was pretty proud of myself. :D Next weekend I'm sure I will go back and do it all over again.

I didn't ride today but yesterday, one of my riding partners and I did The Bike Shop Poker Ride (http://www.cascade.org/EandR/poker/index.cfm). While we only needed to visit 4 shops (the total list is 48 shops) for a 5-card hand (you get a card at the beginning of the ride when you register), we decided to stretch out the ride and put in a half-century by the time we were done. Of course I have horrible luck when it comes to card games and was unable to make a decent enough hand to win anything. I think my cards would have been worth more if I had stuck them in my spokes. ;)

40 miles is about the minimum distance for me. Most rides I do are from 50 to 80 miles. I seldom drive to the start of a ride. We're blessed in the Bay Area to have good access to rural routes in the Santa Cruz Mtns. I probably drive to the start of a recreational ride maybe 4-5 times a year. Even then, I'll usually carpool with another person.

I always ride from home. The roof rack is for hauling my bike to organized or group rides that start 30-70 miles from home.
Depending on time and the weather I generally ride 25-40 miles.
Saturday I tried a different route and did 38 miles.
Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I should have gone out with all the other fathers (Father's day), but decided to spend the day with my sweetheart. She isn't a cyclist yet but is my #1 supporter.

I usually ride about 15 miles starting from home. All city riding, stop and go and up and down. Good conditioning.