Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve

Eastern Pennsylvania was sunny today and yet not warm: 42° was the high temperature in Mom’s neighborhood. I took a break from the bike after three straight days of riding. Today was perfect for a cross-training hike to, through, and then back from Wilma Quinlan Nature Preserve. It’s remarkably like West Bend’s Lac Lawrann Conservancy, but smaller. It’s owned by the municipality, features a network of easy turf and gravel trails, and it’s off-limits to bikes. If bikes were allowed, then it would be an excellent training spot for cyclocross. The preserve doesn’t have any abrupt elevation change like Lac Lawrann’s, but it does feature a couple of longer, steadier climbs like the ones we use for CX practice at Royal Oaks Park in West Bend.

With each passing day I am less confident of my ability to get the 206 outdoor cycling miles I still need to reach my 2023 goal. The weather simply isn’t going to be good enough for long enough. Realistically, I hope for 1-2 more rides while I’m here. In the week ahead, I expect to do more walking/hiking than riding. I still have a couple of important-to-me walking goals to hit.