For People Like Me

Last summer I bought a bike.  Not just any bike.  A "Cruiser" bike!  This bike has three gears and a top speed of 10 miles an hour.  It's not made to go off road, down the front of a mountainside, or through a wooded trail.  It's made to ride on a smooth, paved surface.  It's painted fire engine red with white flowers accents and a white wicker basket on the front.

Shortly after purchasing my bike, we were back at the bike shop to pick up my bell.  I saw a poster for the annual CASA Ride for the Kids.  This is a 50, 75, or 100 mile all road bike ride around the county.  I made mention to Scott that I would like to do this ride.  Without looking up from the register, the guy behind the counter said "that's not for people like you".  People like me?  What exactly are people like me?  Needless to say, I didn't register for the event, and actually spent very little time on my bike.

Flash forward to last weekend.  The community just west of us put together an amazing fundraising event for their community; the first annual Greensprings Mountain Festival.  This was a one-day event with tons of things to do around the Greensprings community.  Scott was interested in going so we researched the list of events and I was so excited to find they were having a Cruiser Bike Poker Run.  What!!!!  A Cruiser Bike Poker Run!!!!  Sign me up! This was definitely for "people like me"!

Our first stop though was at the Greensprings Fire Department fundraiser breakfast.  

Then we met up with the rest our group.  After deciding on the rules of the poker run, we were off and riding.  There was quite a hodgepodge of bikes.  Several cruiser bikes, a tricycle, and even some mountain bikes.  See, us "cruiser" people don't judge.  We didn't care what type of bike you showed up with.  Everyone was welcome.

We rode for a while before finding our first green bag at our first stop.

If you don't know what a poker run is, it's where you ride around to five different spots.  At each spot you randomly pick a card (and a treat) out of a green bag.  At the finish line, the person with the best poker hand based on the cards they have drawn wins.

My first card was a queen.  Off to a good start!

Another thing about "cruiser" people like me, we are just out for a good time.  We did play the game right, but nobody really cared if they won.  They were just out enjoying the absolutely beautiful nine mile ride around Hyatt Lake.  "Cruiser" people have fun names, like our leader "Fish".  "Cruiser" people come from all over.  Some just happened to be driving by on their way home from Burning Man and saw a "Cruiser" bike ride.

Thankfully there were signs all along the way so that we didn't get lost.

Thankfully I was in last place at this point and helped myself to this sign souvenir.  

One last thing about "Cruiser" bike people like me.  We don't judge you if wear your bike helmet clear through lunch because you forgot you still had it on, and your husband thought it was so funny how special you looked in it so he never mentioned that you might want to take it off!

We didn't win the poker run, but we had lots of fun.  We are already excited for all the fun things they have planned for this event next year! And hopefully it won't take another full year before I get back out on my bike.