Earlier today, 12 Poky Pedalers shared great Bike Fun on the Maple Ride. We took advantage of a brisk sunny fall afternoon as we explored the west side of our urban area on a 12-mile loop looking for streets named ‘Maple’, in whole or in part.

Starting from Iverson Park, we quickly encountered our first ‘maple’ in Park Ridge, riding the length of Maplewood Dr. We continued west, and as we neared the Wisconsin River on Bliss St, we came upon Maple St, a one-block dead end. Riding on, we took the gravel Green Circle path along the river south to the HH bridge and crossed over to the west side of the river. There, we found Mapleridge Dr, our third ‘maple’.

Shortly thereafter, we took a rest-and-chat stop outside a convenience store where we enjoyed some homemade chocolate cake that one of our Poky Pedalers graciously brought along. Hearing the excited chorus of “Chocolate!” as the cake was revealed, I dropped a hint that chocolate lovers might want to make particular note of the 2014 Bike Fun Calendar when it is revealed in the spring.

From there, we proceeded east across the Clark St bridge and headed north along the river through Pfiffner and Bukolt Parks. Lots of colorful trees, but no ‘maple’s to be found. Turning eastward, we meandered through attractive neighborhoods via calm streets on our journey back to Iverson Park. Yet not another ‘maple’ was seen.

The end of our Bike Fun today was bittersweet, as this was the final Poky Pedal for this year. But that means we can now fully focus our anticipation upon the 2014 Bike Fun Calendar. Look for it on the PPSP website in early April. A Poky Pedaling Potluck Picnic on May 20 will be the first of approximately 10 Poky Pedals spread through the summer and into fall. And at this point, I can neither confirm nor deny any rumor about a chocolate-themed ride for next year. You’ll simply have to wait for the 2014 Bike Fun Calendar.

Between now and then, PPSP will be busy on the website blog. In a couple of weeks, I’ll post a recap of all the Bike Fun we shared in 2013. Throughout the fall and winter, there are two local projects on which I’ll keep Poky Pedalers up to date: the Portage County Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Project and the Division/Church Corridor Study Project.

The Speak Your Poky option on the menu bar above contains selections to these projects and more. These pages are great places to get up to speed on these local projects and to learn how to voice your opinions to project leaders about how to improve our streets for sharing Bike Fun.

So check back on the PPSP blog once in a while as the snow piles up and melts. Before you know it, the 2014 Bike Fun Calendar will be upon us with more Poky Pedals and Bike Fun galore.

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