first warm day of spring.

Today Ryan and I decided to ride our bikes at Peace Valley, which is a lovely local park situated around a calm lake. We packed picnic equipment, strapped a crate filled with food to the back of my bike, and pedaled off to find an ideal spot to dine by the water. We had checked the weather but never noticed any notifications about wind -- at one point I had to hop off my bike or I would have been blown off! Despite the blustery conditions we made it to a nice sunny spot where some trees and brush shielded us from the wind.

We packed egg salad, corn tortillas (no good way to heat up gluten free bread outdoors!), berries, pineapple chunks, and coconut water. I was immensely grateful that the bees had not yet started springing up, as I'm sure the fruit and coconut water would have made us prime targets for their little swarms.

Hopefully we can have another picnic on a less windy day, or just ride our bikes when the paths aren't so crowded. Our area has had a long and grey icky winter, and it seems like 60 degree day drew everyone out of their homes and onto the little roads that circle the lake. At least all the people out and about meant many people brought their dogs as well! We saw a number of cute canine companions, including a pomeranian with with a stark white face and all-black afro hairdo, an old old old dachsund being pushed around in a stroller with a blanket, and a clumsy German shepherd pup who had yet to grow into it's feet.