Ride 7

A casual Tuesday ride brought us out to the Salt Creek/Oak Lake area west of Lincoln via the historic Haymarket's long bridge over the train track leading to Saltdog Stadium. It was another hot one and we had some wee children riding, so we made a water/granola bar stop early on. Latino Bike Tour unfortunately succumbed to its first rider spill, but luckily the result was only a scrape on the youngster's knee and a broken brake cable coupling.

We pressed on, Salt Creek at our side, until crossing over to Oak Lake for a nice rest and great view.Given our trend for taking new and improved R street, your tour guide decided to switch it up on them, so we re-routed on the way back, taking the North Bottoms route up to Antelope Valley. The entire street/trail system is new and unfamiliar, but one bridge crossing gave us a straight shot back to El Centro. Nice ride!

Ride 6

Bit of a late start for Ride 6, but we managed to catch the exhibit "Within Reach" showing in the historic Haymarket's Haydon Art Center--a cozy pocket of art space on 8th and R. Thanks to a patient Carolin, the gallery tour guide who stuck around for our late arrival, we got a nice introduction to the show.


After that we loped a block over to From Nebraska Gift Shop and were at once inundated with Nebraska kitsch. Your tour guide's favorite pieces were wildlife delicately painted on feathers and bones, e.g. a bald eagle painted on an owl feather, a mountain lion painted on a cow scapula. Does anyone else find that hilariously awesome?


Next stop was The Mill, a favorite haunt of students, downtown professionals, retirees, and those needing a jolt.


Later we had a surprise stop up the road in the Near South barrio:

Mariachi! In a church parking lot!

The Breakdown:
Number of riders who hadn't previously visited any Ride 6 tour stops: Majority
Purchases: 1 jar jalapeño jelly; 1 granita; 1 empanada de fresa
Mariachi: present

Ride 5

A quick skip across the new and improved R Street led us downtown to the Great Plains Art Museum, where Curator Amber Mohr led a very informative tour of the bucolic works. Some really nice sculpture in there, not to mention fantastic plains imagery. Thanks, Amber!

After that, a quick vote led us half a block up the street to Juice Stop for healthy refreshments before heading back to El Centro. Nice ride!

Ride 4

Saturday's high of 140 degrees may have deterred a few, but a strong baker's dozen made it on the trail. One casualty had to turn back from early onset "it's too hot out" affect, while those remaining pressed on until reaching the bike rack just across from our state capitol. A 3pm tour briefed us on the dense symbolism found in and around the structure (the heaviest state capitol in N America) and a rickety elevator to the 14th observation deck proffered a stunning view of Lincoln, most notably mi barrio, the Very Near South:



Once back on the ground and facing the sweltering ride home, we voted on a detour to neighborhood El Chaparro for some grub. Worth it.

Ride 3

It was a hot Tuesday for wheeling up the Mopac Trail until Bethany Park at 66th and Vine, but a 10-minute breather and some granola bars helped us power back. At least the way back is always seems quicker than the way there. Love the new bridge over 27th street.


Thanks to Jorge Palacios for the great photos! 17 riders!

Ride 2

Went down to Cooper Park on 8th and E to take in a lecture on diabetes and then undergo basic health assessments by a few lovely nurses from County Health. After that, it was a quick stop at Pan Dulce (jalapeño cream cheese bread!) before returning. 16 riders!


Check out more photos HERE.

First Ride - Sheldon

For those lacking the equipment, we provide bikes, helmets, and locks. Once everyone was situated, we took the new and improved R street straight to Sheldon to see their Cuban art exhibit Flowers, Lies and Revolution. Honoring our arrival was director J. Daniel Veneciano, who later handed things over to bilingual docent Britt to give us a tour. We even got snacks afterward--I think they deserve a return visit...

Left with daylight, we decided to wheel around campus before heading back to El Centro.

First Ride: hitchless. Next ride: Saturday, July 10 2pm, Cooper Park for health assessments and Cultiva Coffee for refreshments.

Welcome

Welcome to the first post. Over the next two months, this blog will report activity on Latino Bike Tour, a series of rides around Lincoln, Tuesdays at 6pm and Saturdays at 2pm.

Look at the official poster!