The Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway opened in 1998 and consists of 18 miles of finely crushed limestone trail plus 2 miles of asphalt trail through Mineral Wells. The trail begins just northwest of Weatherford and travels to the downtown district of Mineral Wells. Since the trailway is located on an old railroad bed, the grades are very flat and curves are very gentle, making it popular for trail users of all ages and abilities. Be sure and bring your trail or mountain bike. This is not a ride you want to do on your skinny tire road bike.We like to start our ride at the Garner trailhead which is about half-way between Weatherford and Mineral Wells. We head gently uphill for almost 7
miles to the high point of the trail and then down hill to the Weatherford trailhead. There we usually refill water bottles and then head back toward Garner and on in to Mineral Wells.The trailway winds gently through remote farm and ranch lands. The gently rolling hills are abundant with wildlife and a variety of bird life. Spring and fall offer the best opportunities for seeing the multitude of colors from a variety of trees and flowers that dot the trailway.
The trail ends in downtown Mineral Wells, a typical downtown district of a West Texas town. The trailway is also connected to Mineral Wells State Park. There is a fee for enjoying this lovely trail. Self pay stations are located at each of four trailheads or fees can be paid at the Park Headquarters.
Since this trailway is 20 miles out and back for a total of 40 miles, you choose the distance you want to ride. We typically ride the entire distance with a short stop in Mineral Wells for a bite to eat.
Sam's Club BikeMS - 150 miles over 2 days from Frisco to Fort Worth.
Bike MS: Sam's Club Ride is a two-day fundraising bike ride,, the first weekend in May every year from Frisco to Fort Worth, organized by the National MS Society, Lone Star Chapter. We've done this ride twice in the past. Our first year was the most memorable. It rained almost the entire day the first day of riding. Not a hard rain but enough to just be 'almost' miserable. Thank goodness it was fairly warm that day. This is a pic of us the morning of the second day inside the Texas Motor Speedway. We made a lap around the track before heading out to Decatur and on to Fort Worth for the finish.The second year we did this ride, it was almost freezing cold the first morning. We dressed as warm as we could and were still cold. But we still did the entire ride.
This is a nice ride and it's for a great cause. If you know anyone riding the BikeMS, please be sure to donate to the cause in their name.
Aledo Ride for Heroes
This is one of the first organized rides of the season that we do and it 
starts at the High School in Aledo and travels along the roads of Parker County. We ride primarily on county roads with low traffic. One would think this area would be mostly flat but it is actually quite hilly. Our grandson has done this ride with us a couple times. This pic was taken in 2007 when my grandson, Christian, was 10. He did a great job riding the 33 mile route. Rest stops are plentifully stocked and there are burgers and hot dogs at the finish line.We've missed this ride the last few years: 2008, we had a flat tire on the truck and no other way to get our bikes to the ride. 2009, it was freezing cold outside. 2010, it was raining all day and we don't ride in the rain if we can keep from it. Hopefully, 2011 will be a better year and we can participate again in the Aledo Ride for Heroes.
Fort Worth Bicycling Association
We have been members of the Fort Worth Bicycling Association (FWBA) for several years. FWBA members ride bicycles: road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids, tandems, and recumbents. With regularly scheduled rides almost every day of the week, it's easy to pick a ride that suits our skill level. The FWBA has several annual events that we enjoy..... the Super Bowl Sunday ride where all the area bike clubs meet at Dallas West End for lunch, 
Easter Hill Country Tour which FWBA is the host once every four years, the Spring/Summer Picnic, Leakey Death ride consisting of 3 days of challenging hills on country roads out of Leakey, TX, the Holiday Party, and many more.We have made a lot of new friends and enjoy our rides with the FWBA. The rides all have several route distances so we can choose how far we want to ride. We make our decision based on how we feel that day and how hilly the ride might be. But it's not just about the ride. We ride to eat. There's always a group that goes for lunch afterward.
