easter ride

I visited my family in Victoria for Easter weekend and we celebrated Spring by going for a bicycle ride along the Galloping Goose trail starting at Luxton Fairgrounds and riding as far as Roche Cove. The weather surprised us by being perfect. The trail, being an old rail line, is probably one of the flattest you'll find in the Victoria area. (Islands. That whole mountains-rising-from-the-sea thing. Sheesh.) This section of the trail passes through a variety of areas, including some farm areas, some dark, damp forested areas, and some of those open, rocky areas where you can smell the Arbutus trees and dried grasses. Another nice surprise was when we stumbled upon O, who works with my family (my dad, mom, and sister all work together), on a ride with his partner E and their 1-year-old baby E in a chariot. Despite the fact that they're more athletic about their riding than the rest of us, they'd also come a farther distance (and E was pulling the chariot) so joined us for the last leg. At the far end, we stopped for a short lunch before turning around to ride back. Despite the fact that it was deep into the most stressful time of year for most of the group (they're all in accounting), everyone seemed to agree that this was pretty great way to spend a Saturday.