On Saturday, I decided to try riding my bicycle for the first time since my surgery. It had been two weeks and one day. I was (and still am) unable to comfortably wear normal shoes, but in my surgical boot, or in sandals I am generally fairly comfortable most of the time now. I set out for a ride in sandals. I figured I’d explore our new neighborhood a bit, and hopefully figure out how a couple of parks interconnect.

Riding felt good. My foot didn’t bother me too much, so long as I didn’t try to put too much pressure on my toes. So, I pedaled with the middle of my foot, and really had no problems. There was one decent hill during my ride, and it was OK, but really big hills would still present a problem.

I did discover how Sherwood Oaks Park connects to Olcott Park. In fact, I had been there before, but didn’t realize I had gone from one park to another. They are separated only by a brief, paved path through the woods, so I thought both sides were parts of the same park.

Aside from the usual playgrounds, tennis courts and basketball courts, the path passes over Jackson Creek and through some woods. For a few minutes, I forgot I was in town.

I also saw some side trails I’d like to explore.

Those two parks form a lovely area; they’re sandwiched between a couple of residential areas, but the wooded area is large enough to allow some escape.

All this is just a little over a mile from our house, and from there, it’s only a couple more miles to my family’s house. Excellent.

File under: Bicycling, Road Biking