Erie PA – Bicycling the beauty around us

Presque Isle State Park Bicycle Ride

Bob and I went to Erie on Saturday, September 7th. We went to Sam’s Club, where I purchased four 3-ring binders for my genealogy research. Bob purchased a pair of clip-on sunglasses for his new work glasses. We stopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods, where I looked for a pair of cycling pants (with padded bottoms). They had a very small collection of cycling clothes, and I didn’t care for what I saw.

After we were done shopping we drove to Presque Isle State Park, arriving there around noon. We rode our bicycles on the 13.4 mile Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail. Yes, we do ride this trail often. It is one of our favorite bicycle trails! If you click on the tag “Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail” at the bottom of this post, you can revisit the other times that we have ridden our bicycles on this trail.

I took this picture near Perry Monument. This is the location from where ‘Lady Kate’ (a sightseeing boat) departs.

We stopped briefly at the Presque Isle Lighthouse.

We still haven’t toured the lighthouse…

Lots of seagulls hanging out on the rocks at Beach #8

During our bicycle ride we saw some of the 1,500 competitors who came out to tackle the 7th annual Barber Beast on the Bay. According to an Erie News Now article, the Barber Beast on the Bay is “a wild, demanding and creative obstacle course that stretches across 10 miles of Presque Isle State Park…[Participants] run, jump, climb and crawl across more than 30 obstacles on the shores of Lake Erie…The most important thing about the race is it raises money to help the children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities and behavioral health challenges at the Barber National Institute…”

A few of the many Barber Beast on the Bay competitors

After riding our bicycles, we needed nourishment. We stopped for an early dinner (3:00 pm) at IHOP. Bob ordered a fish entree; I ordered chicken. Both meals were delicious. On our way home we stopped at Mr. Shivers for custard ice cream desserts.

We purchased a GoPro 7 camera on Amazon that evening. Happy early anniversary to us! (Our 21st wedding anniversary is on September 26th.) Expected delivery date of the camera is this coming Monday. We plan to use the GoPro on some of our bicycling adventures.

Bicycling at Presque Isle State Park

We returned to Presque Isle State Park on Memorial Day. We spent a couple hours at the park bicycling leisurely the Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail around the peninsula. Presque Isle is a favorite place for Bob and I to bicycle. We return here often.

Total bicycle miles ridden: 13.88 miles, and we did make it all the way around.

Presque Isle State Park Bicycle Ride

It is the start of the Memorial Day weekend. Bob and I went bicycling at Presque Isle State Park. We rode almost 8 miles on the Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail, which wasn’t the entire trail. It was a bit chilly for a bicycle ride, and it began to rain. We plan to return to Presque Isle another day this weekend.

Bob and I at the Presque Isle Waterworks

We crossed over to the lake side of the peninsula at the Waterworks.

We crossed over to the bay side, when we neared where we had parked our car. Whenever we go for a bicycle ride at Presque Isle we park at the first vista parking lot, after passing through the entrance gate.

New Bicycle Carrier

We drove to Erie today to look at (and possibly purchase) a bicycle carrier. Bob was looking for a certain brand and model , Saris “Bones”. We stopped first at Dick’s Sporting Goods. They carry Saris carriers but didn’t have the “Bones” model.

From Dick’s Sporting Goods, we drove to Competitive Gear, where we found the bicycle carrier that Bob was looking for. We purchased that carrier.

The salesman put the carrier on our car.

We were impressed with Competitive Gear. The prices were similar to Amazon’s pricing; the salesman was personable and helpful.

Our two folding bicycles are now for sale. We will be going to places and riding our full-size bicycles. I can ride my full-size bicycle much better than the folding one. I wish we would have bought the carrier in the first place and not the folding bicycles. We would have saved some money!

A Bicycle Ride Around Presque Isle

We recently purchased a trailer hitch bike carrier. We put the bike carrier to use today by transporting our bicycles to Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.

We arrived at Presque Isle shortly before 11:00 am. For the next 2 hours we bicycled the Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail, making a few photo stops along the way.

This was the first time that we were at the lighthouse, when tours were being given. We didn’t go on a tour … perhaps one day.

The paved Karl Boyes Multi-Purpose National Recreation Trail makes a 13.5-mile loop in the park. We bicycled the entire trail. I had no doubts that Bob could bicycle the entire trail. I had doubts about myself making it all the way around. I made it, though. YAY me!

On our way home we stopped at Target, where I found a handlebar basket for my bicycle. Now I have the means to carry my camera, a wallet, or a picnic lunch.