It started with a quest. Something about being in your forties and feeling like crap lately, mid-life crisis, nostalgic for your youth, sad your teenager is soon off to college and your home is empty, I don’t know what, but something sparked the quest. Maybe it was all of it.

We, as in me and my wife, often travel to Connecticut or Rhode Island for weekend getaways from our Manhattan apartment. This was different. We have been discussing and researching our bike purchase, and the trails we can explore. I am much more avid a bike fan than she with many miles under seat when we lived in Lake Mary, Florida. Plus, I watch the Tour de France. So you know I know biking, minus the doping drama.

We make our escape from New York City in mid-afternoon and head north on the Interstate that haunts too many of our travels, I-95. Since it has been a couple years, a Specialized, or Trek bike with their associated cost aren’t in the cards, but Huffy certainly is in mine. Maybe this is were the nostalgia kicked in. I had several Huffy bikes in my youth and they are great machines, not the best, but great, and for my skill level certainly accommodating. Well, our first stop at Target in Milford, CT yields zip on results. They had exactly two bikes. Unless I wanted a prepackaged, assemble myself Spiderman bike complete with training wheels, they had NOTHING. Dick’s Sporting Goods was upstairs and the only thing we bought there was Pepper Spray for our teenager, just for some peace of mind, ours, not hers. So after these disappointments it was off to the hated Walmart. Low and behold they had a treasure trove of bikes. The selection was fantastic and the price was right. Huffy for $95 bucks and an HPG, whomever they are, for the wife for $129. Practical and fitting the level of our experience. We opted for the mountain bike variety, as road bikes just didn’t seem to fit where we want to be. I picture myself as one of those X-gamer’s doing back flips off the ramps or making Kamikaze runs down the sides of giant Rocky Mountain slopes with the wind in my hair and helicopters trying to keep up for the TV presentation. In reality I am in my forties and since my 20’s have gained too many pounds, nearly 40, and hate myself for it, but can’t seem to motivate myself to change.

Here is the start of change, BIKES. In them we found what seems to be our loves, at least temporarily. We decided we needed to “hit the trail”. Our extensive research took us to New Haven, CT. We visited here several times and would love if our teenage daughter would attend Yale University, the main attraction of New Haven. We parked in one of Yale’s many parking lots, #37 to be specific, on Hillhouse Rd. which is just two short blocks from the southernmost trailhead point of the Farmington Canal Trail.

While I am living with the after effects of not riding a bike for a couple years, a ridiculously sore ass and legs. I had more fun than I have in many, many months. My beautiful wife is in the same position I am, maybe worse, she is downing Advil for her pain, I prefer the Sicilian red that I am 3/4 of the way through. But all in all there are no regrets. $257 for two bikes, and a tire pump and another $45 at Modell’s for helmets. Walmart sucked on the helmets, only having like 5 helmets, not five styles, but five total. Modell’s wasn’t much better, but they at least had Black ones. Safety first, but not at the expense of being a Dork. I do recommend helmets for every rider, even a casual slow rider like myself, I never used to wear one, but having a kid and making her wear one, how could I not as well. Lead by example as I was always taught, so be safe, wear a helmet and enjoy doing something active to change your life.

Finding a New Life

We all talk about being healthy, being fit, being in shape and then struggle with going to the gym to exercise, or hiring a personal trainer or eating healthy or organic, or vegan. I believe it is small changes and try, try, try. If you fall off the horse, or bike, get back up (thankfully neither of us fell). If you get tired pause, just don’t stop. If you do stop, make it temporary. As long as you continue to start even if its over and over again you will find success.