Yay!

Every Wednesday during the summer IUP hosts a picnic/BBQ for the whole community: students, faculty, staff, Indiana residents, etc. Last week should have been the first one of the summer but it was canceled due to rain (I had forgotten about how much rain can fall here in 30 seconds). So, today I took Ellie to the picnic and she did pretty well, for her. She only freaked out twice when two people (both professors of mine, naturally) came at her head too quickly. But, she is making new friends and perhaps even learning that people want to pet her and she likes to be pet! I.E. people=good thing!

I also took my bike out for its inaugural Indiana ride. I initially had planned on riding the Hoodlebug Trail but if you go to the website you will see the photo of a biker on a mountain bike. Aha. As I found out "crushed asphalt" does not agree with my super thin road tires. Not only was the bike feeling slippery and squirrely (not to mention the extra vibrations from the loose ground), I was concerned about one of those tiny specks of crushed rock getting into one of my tubes and giving me a flat.

So I quickly exited Hoodlebug and found myself in some strange part of Indiana I'd never been to. It was sort of like Hillsborough back at home: acres of green lawn, giant house set back off the road, hilly. That didn't last too long, though, before I was spat back out on route 422. or 244. or 242. Whatever it was, at least it had a nice marked shoulder.

I kept on going, riding through town, for about an hour and then came home and realized that vigorous exercise plus 84 degree weather= gross. But, it was fun to be out exploring, and I am looking forward to next week, when my night class switches to the afternoons, so I can go on group rides organized by the bike shop that loves Jesus.