Wake Up the Earth!

Time for our first ride of the year! (Well, actually our second ride, as Larry & I broke in the year early with a Leap Day Ride to Slate's Bakery in Hallowell in February.) We will likely have warmer weather this Saturday, if the remarkably Spring-like weather we've been having will hold for next weekend. Jim Floyd will be leading our "Wake Up the Earth" ride along the Kennebec River Rail Trail in Augusta as we kick off another year with the Kennebec Valley Bicycle Club. We might note that we should be passing by the Slate's Bakery on Saturday, too - in case you feel you missed out on something last February (which you did). In any case, I hope you can join us! And take note that this weekend the Bicycle Coalition of Maine will host the first of two Great Maine Bike Swaps: the first on Sunday, April 22 in Bangor; followed by one in Portland on Sunday, April 29. Let's get rolling!

Illustration: The Luckhursts on their tandem pass through downtown Hallowell on a KVBC breakfast ride along the Kennebec River Rail Trail. This particular rendering came out looking rather Mediterranean. Still, I have yet to hear from any Italian touring company seeking to use the image in their advertising.

April 21st, Saturday - AUGUSTA

"Wake Up the Earth" - an early Spring/Earth Day ride along the Kennebec River Rail Trail through Augusta, Hallowell, and Gardiner.

START: 10:00 AM at the Augusta trail head of the rail trail - the municipal parking lot off of Water Street adjacent to the Maine State Housing Authority (353 Water St.) in the shadow of Memorial Bridge:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=kennebec+river+rail+trail&sll=44.311274,-69.77447&sspn=0.028006,0.055189&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kennebec+River+Rail+Trail,+Kennebec,+Maine&ll=44.311497,-69.774309&spn=0.003501,0.006899&t=h&z=17&lci=bike

DISTANCE: 20 miles

TERRAIN: flat (and we mean flat)

HIGHLIGHTS: the first ride of the season, a pleasant run along the Kennebec River, with some great natural scenery mixed with some urban vistas, kicking off another great year of cycling.

LEADER: Jim Floyd.