Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

Plans for the new ride?
The original plan was to hit some local bike trails and state parks on the weekends at first, to limber up, then gradually try some fun rides. It's been awhile since we biked on a regular basis. There's a good choice of parks around here, in varying terrain. Unfortunately I got crutches instead of a clean bill of health on the sprained foot today -- not that it will stop me from taking some short rides to start :->

Some fun events are coming up:
Maine Bicycle Rally Offers Weekend of Rides
A three-day bicycle rally featuring nearly 30 rides for all levels of cyclists will take place July 6-8 in Yarmouth. The rally will provide a full weekend of entertainment including sunrise, sunset and stargazing night bike rides, a recycle bike art show, bike parade, ice cream social and Maine Bike Expo.

And there's also a couple major fairs that offer "valet bike parking" and reduced admission to the fair if you bike in, either from home or using their "Park and Pedal" areas. One is held in conjunction with the Common Ground Fair in Unity Maine in September, http://www.bikemaine.org/commonground.htm

Oh, regarding the Nascar look the decals are almost clear. They blend into the background color. The first thing I did was to remove the multitudinous yellow warning stickers. Stuff like that can scare you (me!) right off the bike.

-Ally