The Fourth of July by Bike and Trail

My better half, spinning past a terrific new Chip Thomas 
installation on the La Choza caboose

The wife and I pedaled the Rail Trail into town on Monday morning for some Pancakes on the Plaza. What a fine holiday to be out - Independence Day. Fun to ride with someone else, and at a conversational pace rather than my frequent breakaway-style sprints from one area of town to another. I was psyched to see how many other folks were out on their bikes, cruising in for some pancakes and community eventing. Big wheels rolling across the land, sons. In fact, bike parking in areas bordering the Plaza almost seemed a bit limited. 

Limited parking on the Plaza. Two wheels representing on Independence Day

The trail itself was looking first rate, with some recent maintenance and additions and what not. Some treacherous gaps by the bridge near St. Michael's have been repaired and filled in. The section of trail that runs alongside the Chevron station between St. Francis Dr. and Pen Dr. has been reconfigured to be more bike-friendly. And by that I mean the cement pylons with the near-invisible steel cabling have been removed and the glass strewn dirt has been paved over, all of which is nice. 

The new Rail Trail improvements looking northeast towards the Rail Yard (May '11).

Panqueques en el Plaza is a rockin' event but the pancakes themselves are sort of not a highlight. After wandering the crowds and checking out the classic cars we saw that Tia Sophia's was open, serving burritos and coffee that would make any patriot proud. We were scoring at will, what a morning. Worked in a few miles on the trail that afternoon after cycling back to Casa Dirt, followed by grilled steak and fireworks.