I'd recommend a nice, comfortable, full-fledged touring bike. Then get a set of panniers, and explore the countryside...have a few adventures. We've earned it......

I absolutely love touring on my bikes. I have a wonderful old Hetchins touring bike that makes the miles just seem to melt away. I also have an old Shogun 500 touring bike that I bought new in 1982, and she's still a superb mount for doing distance. Touring, like all bicycle riding, is not just exercise for the body, but also medicine for the soul....... You become one with environment you are traveling through, and things start to make sense.

I go to the VA Clinic in Chattanooga every few months (I am diabetic). It's 43 miles from where I live in the N. Ga. mountains. One of my favorite rides is to ride to the clinic. I leave the day before, ride through some of the most beautiful and scenic areas in the country, and get me a room near the clinic to stay overnight. Just a nice, slow, fun ride, stopping when I want, maybe even fly fish a little on the way. After my appointment, I usually cruise through the wonderful parks along the Tennessee River, maybe go to the Aquarium, and some of the museums, zoo, etc..., do a little shopping, eat in a nice restaurant or two, etc.... I stay overnight then head back home the next day. It makes me look forward to my VA appointments.....