March 31, 2022- Weekly Food Run and ride for lunch

March has been a looong month and now April is here but sadly, we here in So. Colorado can still see snow and cold up until the 2nd. weekend in MAY! :( It worked out well for us Weds. was gray, lite rain and windy but thursday, started sunny and warmish. It was past time for our weekly food run to the Union Blvd. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market Place store for food and supplies!

Here what we have to do to get ready, Out apt. is a "2nd. storie" unit, we have to get both TRIKES and our Utility Trailer thru the "not wide enough doors and down a flight of stairs to use the double doors to get out front. It's around 2.5 miles to the store via the back streets and Rock Island Trail, just slight uphill grade all the way as it is a actual rail-trail. Then downhill via back street into a parking lot and over to the store. We did have a bit of a detour as the city is "finally" fixing a part of the trail that had a huge chunk out of the asphalt, like 3/4 of the trail for a long time! It take 45 min. to a hour to do the shopping, I do that Jo stays outside with the trikes as "guard dog"! We have Hot/Cold Bags with ice blocks (plastic), in each bag for the frozen items, fresh veggies, etc. Pack up the trailer with food and stuff, then head back UP that back street, which is quite steep, (thank goodness for lower gearing) to the trail and back home. 5 miles RT.

We then take the bags, etc. upstairs to our apt. put away the frozen and fresh items, leaving the dry good in bags on the floor. Then we bring the utility trailer up a flight of stairs and back into the apt. We then head out for lunch, Most of the times it's a brown bag, PB and sugar free J sandwich, 1/2 apple and baked pea crips or other "lightly salted" chip. We do spoil ourselves at times, today we headed to a Pander's Bread store off the Pikes Peak Greenway, to share a small flat bread pizza and unsweet iced tea! :) Then we rode up the "detour" trail to Criterium Bicycles Store and back down the PP Greenway to the Fontanero Street Trail Head and back to the apartment. 

It's a "all day" kinda ride with a LOT of physical work for ME as I do all the "moving" up and down of the trikes and trailer and the heavy food bags hauling. Still the day was sunny and warming nicely so it was worth all the work and the pizza was great too! ;) Being "Car Free" isn't for whimp's but it can be enjoyable at times! BJ :)