Earth Day -Vintage Bikes and Beer

On Earth Day my husband and I joined the Grand Rapids Vintage Bicycle Club for their first ride of the year. Our friend Ted organizes the rides for this group and he also fixes old bikes, particularly a lot of cool looking Schwinns. We met at a bar about one mile from our house and it was a clear sunny day, but windy and cold. I rode my bike with big thick warm mittens so my hands were warm (I learned from the last time I rode mitten-free on a cold windy day). I also had on a giant pink scarf which kept my neck warm. I was glad I opted for jeans today instead of a skirt.

I had never gone on a ride with this group before and I met a lot of nice people. My husband and I were the only two people not riding old bikes. I really want one now, I love the old Schwinns, especially their big comfy seasts and big metal baskets. At this bar, I had a vanilla porter which was delicious and warmed me up nicely!

We left this bar and rode to a local brew pub called Brewery Vivant, about 2 miles away. I rode in the bike lane on Wealthy Street and then turned on to Lake Drive. The bike lane on Wealthy Street by the hospital is not good. The street has not been swept for months and it has many potholes, and deep uneven grooves in it. Today there were two large piles of yard waste IN THE LANE that people thought was an acceptable place to dump it. So for a long stretch of Wealthy, it was ironic that I had to ride next to the bike lane because the bike lane was in such bad shape. What good are bike lanes if they are not maintained?

I covet this pink bike

 

At Brewery Vivant, I sat next to and chatted with a woman who likes to knit and we became friends on Ravelry. It's always nice to meet a fellow yarn addict! There were probably about 12 of us at Vivant, and it was fun that all of us biked to the bar.

When we went outside, we had a group photo and we all went our separate ways. It was a nice earth day ride/pub crawl! I'm happy that I spent mine car-free.