IOU Biking...

By, Sara Hollerich

It was a nice spring day when we set out on our bike ride along the Des Moines River on the Neal Smith Trail. Being one of IOUs first events, only four people showed up for this ride, but we had a great time anyway. It was nice to get outside and streatch our legs and get the blood pumping. We all meet up at Sycamore Access, which is just one of the many points the Neal Smith Trail can be accessed.

I had been practicing my mountain biking with Mike a few times earlier in the year and was excited to try it out again, but also a bit nervous. The group was contemplating riding the mountain biking trail, a dirt path with lots of hills and other obstacles. I am just learning how to mountain bike and often put my foot down, which promptly earns me a lot of grief. However, I would rather do put my foot down then bite the dust. Anyway, because of technical issues we decided to hit the paved trail instead. This was a huge relief to me because I didn’t have to risk totally embarassing myself. Thoughts of ambulances and broken necks had been dancing in my head.

Instead we biked several miles that day and ended up near a park called Carousel Park, I think. Anyway it was a beautiful day for a bike ride. It was nice to chat with new members of the group and just take a break from my busy life.