The perfect way to spend Christmas Day was to cycle with my son and husband  to Saguaro National Park. We followed bike lanes on Broadway to the Old Spanish Trail which took us to the entrance of the Saguaro National Park. The Ranger at the gate asked if we had been to the park before and my son indicated that he had. She asked if he had warned us of the first curve and steep descent and we answered no. She advised us to be cautious on the first curve and to take our time on the descent, which I did as my husband and son careened around and down! The eight miles of the park road was one way and any vehicles on the road were cautious in passing cyclists. The views of the Rincon Mountains, the desert landscape, and the thrill of the descent once the final hill was climbed all made the ride worthwhile. Cycling back to my son’s home provided a total of 33 miles and a wonderful way to spend Christmas day. 12/25/14

While Hueco Tanks State Park is known more for its bouldering activity, we did manage a bit of cycling. We exited the park and took to the roads in the surrounding countryside. Not many houses are built out in this area  as water and other utilities are not provided by the locality. Cycling on the roads was not as fun as hiking through the unique habitat of the Hueco Tanks, climbing the boulders and viewing the pictorgraphs that abound throughout the Park. 12/18/14

While visiting our daughter in Raleigh, we took advantage of one of the Cycling Trails near Raleigh, the Neuse River Greenway. “Along the eastern outskirts of Raleigh, the Neuse River Trail follows the river for nearly 28 miles from Falls Lake Dam to the Wake/Johnston County line. There are several river crossings along the way, including two on suspension bridges. The scenic, tree-lined trail offers numerous wildlife viewing opportunities, especially on its boardwalks through wetland areas.”

We started our trip at Anderson Point Park, heading North first then retracing our route back to the park, and continuing south to the end of the trail, returning back to Anderson Point Park, for a total of almost 60 miles! Beautiful views along the way and varied vistas. 12/1/14