It’s the unofficial end of summer, this long weekend. The warm season starts on Memorial Day weekend and ends on Labor Day weekend. Summer abides by long weekends, it seems. I do, too. And I take every chance I can get to thoroughly spend time outside when I’m not at work.

We were planning on camping over the weekend, but plans changes and we were able to enjoy a relaxing weekend at home instead. I’m not complaining. Mornings watching soccer and afternoon naps with the windows open is a certain kind of heaven for me. My legs, on the other hand, itch for a bit of suffering. It’s like they just have energy and if that energy is not spent, I can’t sit still. It was music to my eyes when I saw an invite for a Labor Day ride. That’s how the saying works, right? It couldn’t have been music to my ears because I didn’t hear it. I read it. Thus, my eyes. Anyway.

Meet for coffee at Minnehaha Falls at 10am. Enjoy hot caffeinated beverages until 11am, make a quick stop at the beer shop, then ride to the River Bottoms trails and play in the dirt. Sign me up! After a few days of resting, my legs needed to work.

Nearly 20 of us met for coffee (and tea) at the bottom of the falls. A kid was there and so was a viszla puppy that couldn’t even stay still long enough for a clear photo. Parker and Zach were nice enough to make a beer stop while we finished our drinks. Twelve of us made it out for the ride. The city hasn’t had much rain in the past week, so trails are relatively dry. Save for a water crossing, things were ideal. We stopped for a break under an interstate, rode for a few more miles, then shotgunned beers before going our separate ways. Gosh, I love long weekends. Here’s to more weekend adventures in town with bike people.