Editor’s note: This story is part of our Wander at Will series, which is designed to inspire you to enjoy the many recreation opportunities in your Will County preserves in whatever ways you are able to. Whether you’re a well-traveled explorer or just starting your outdoor adventures, you’ll find new ideas, tips and hidden gems to help you connect with the outdoors all year.

I vividly remember my first bike without training wheels. It was a Huffy Desert Rose, and it was a beaut. It was white with purple accents and had a banana seat and pretty purple streamers coming out of the handlebars — everything a girl could want for tooling around the neighborhood without a care in the world. I put a lot of miles on that bike and had a few memorable mishaps too, most notably taking a spill while riding downhill on a gravely road. The resulting road rash was a real doozy.  

I can confidently say that I put more miles on my Desert Rose than I have on every bike I’ve owned since combined. My old Huffy was my main mode — really my only mode — of transportation as a kid, but having a bike kind of lost its novelty for me once I got my driver’s license and had a car at my disposal.  

As an adult, I haven’t ridden much apart from accompanying my kids on family bike rides around the neighborhood. Once they outgrew that part of childhood, my bike started collecting dust in the garage.  

But in the spirit of stepping outside my comfort zone this year, I dusted off many years of accumulated dust on my trusty Trek bike to get it ready to ride again. (More truthfully, this was all my husband’s doing. If I had to do it myself, it would still be collecting dust in the garage because I wouldn’t have known where to start.) 

Once it was road worthy, I took it for a little spin around the neighborhood. And as the saying goes, it really was like riding a bike. I wasn’t rusty at all. Maybe a little slow, but not rusty. 

Since that first ride, I’ve been out a handful more times, going a little farther on each ride. I haven’t racked up many miles yet, though. My longest ride so far has only been 6.5 miles.  

Truth be told, I’m a little bit of a Goldilocks about biking. It can’t be too cold. Or too windy. And the trail definitely can’t be too hilly. I like a nice, flat trail on a perfectly pleasant day.  

Lucky for me, there’s no shortage of flat trails around my house, which is near the Rock Run Greenway Trail, the Joliet Junction Trail and the DuPage River Trail. I haven’t been as lucky in the weather department. We’ve had plenty of warm days, but a lot of them have been windy — too windy for me anyway. 

So far, my riding adventures have been on the trails close to home, but I’m going to try to venture farther out as the season goes on. My goals aren’t that lofty. I’ll be more than content with a 10-mile ride; 15 or 20 miles would probably be pushing it, not so much physically as how much time I actually want to spend on a bike at once.  

Among the trails I’d like to tackle are the Old Plank Road Trail — maybe an afternoon ride through downtown Frankfort — and the Hickory Creek Bikeway to see the preserve from a different perspective. So, look for me if you’re out and about too — just not on any windy days.