Part of our internship program involves each intern writing a weekly blog about whatever topic they’ve learned or discovered. This week, Emma Ulrich, interning with us this semester from Butler University, has tackled the blog:
Summers in elementary and middle school—a time of no school, no work, and no responsibilities. A time to unwind and (unfortunately) forget quite a bit of what was learned that past year. A time to hang out with friends. A time to chill by the pool. And a time to ride bikes.
Some of my fondest memories from my summers are of cycling—one of the perks of being from a small town. Before I could drive (and even after I could), I would ride my bike to where I needed to go, be it to a friend’s house, to the park, to the pool, or to the local BP to get a frozen pop. At least once a week, I would ride my bike to the library, backpack full of the books I had checked out the previous week and already finished. However, none of these memories can constitute my favorite part of cycling; that honor belongs to the bike rides my family and I would take.
Creating memories with her family is Emma’s favorite part of bicycling and she’s already created several fond memoriesl during her short time at Nine13.
Family bike rides were at least a weekly thing. Sometimes we would ride to the local restaurant/ice cream stand. Other times it was just around town. On one very memorable bike ride, we drove to the Cardinal Greenway and cycled for what seemed like forever (looking back, I realize it was maybe only 2 or 3 miles). And, while not exactly in the summer, I remember riding part of the Hilly Hundred in southern Indiana with my dad when I was maybe 10 years old. To me, cycling isn’t just a form of exercise; it’s a reminder of family time, of my brothers zooming around on the pink bike that used to be mine, of my sister and I riding through puddles to splash each other. These are memories that I am glad I have; these memories are much better than the ones of watching a movie or a TV show (although those are good ones, too). Bike rides gave us an opportunity to do something active as a family, and that is easily my favorite part of cycling.