Where do you ride?

My favorite rides are ones that offer scenic vistas. Anything pretty. Costal, mountainous, flat with row after row of grapevines, hilly and full of wildflowers. I could go on, but the point is visually pleasing. This is not always easy to find, especially if you live in a city.

Usually I walk out my front door, saddle up and start pedaling. I chose my route based on distance (I prefer a loop instead of out and back), difficulty (it's pretty hilly in these parts), and scenery. There a certain spots on my favorite routes that I can easily picture in my head: the Fort Rosecrans Cemetery and the boats in the harbor as I cross over a bridge are examples.

Sometimes when I am riding on a beautiful day and the sights seem particularly special, I think of other people I know who live in different places, and I wonder what they see on their daily rides. I feel like they would love my rides as much as I do.

If I were the sort of person to meditate, these are the images I would conjure. Just thinking about how I feel when I'm on one of these rides can bring my blood pressure down several points. Do you have images in your mind of your favorite rides? Where are they?