Looking for Adventure

There are few things that make me happy in the simple way that waking up to sunshine in the morning does. Waking to blue skies gives my heart a lift. They seem like a guarantee of the possibility of adventure. So yesterday, I decided to turn my daily bike ride into an adventure. 

I set out to find how many miles I could do in one ride. So far this year, my max has been about twelve miles, with some nine and ten mile rides, but mostly around six or seven miles at a time. Usually, I just hope on my bike and go, with no special preparation. For this ride, I packed a jar of water and a couple of snacks. There's something about actually preparing to do something that can turn the routine into something out of the ordinary.

On my way to the riverside bike path, I stopped at REI. There was a time when almost all my adventures started with a visit to the popular NW institution, hooray nostalgia! I picked up some fruit chews and eschewed getting more gear, which is always a temptation. 

From there, I looped onto the riverbank path, going north to the footbridge and then south as far as the path goes and then beyond into Springfield, which is where I turned around to come back. After about thirteen miles, I stopped to rest for a bit. There was a stretch of path with great views of the river. I drank my water, nibbled my apple, and felt like I was really on an adventure. A small one, but still an adventure.

I took a few pictures from my rest stop and ran them through Waterlogue, which is a very fun smartphone ap that essentially applies a watercolor filter to photographs. I love the soft effect! It's a huge temptation to turn all my photos into watercolors.