Hiya DennisV, and welcome from a fellow who has taken up riding recently too.

From your description, I'd say you have the saddle set too low and that's probably contributing to your discomfort. The old idea we were taught as kids - that you need to be able to touch the ground when the bike isn't moving - is just plain wrong and puts your legs at all sorts of wrong angles. When coming to rest it's best to come forward OFF the saddle. Good tips on starting and stopping here, where I found them:

http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html


I've been getting some excellent advice about riding style from the people here, and you might be able to benefit from what they've been telling me. I've found it has helped a lot, and I'm now riding further, easier and more comfortably:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=401489



Please don't hesitate to start a new topic of your own with your questions and queries. People here are friendly and helpful