On our most challenging ride to date, 53 intrepid souls joined us on a trip to enjoy target practice and ice cream (a couple of our favorite American "obsessions", of course)!

Our first and only stop was at AimHi Family Firearms Center, where Charlotte & Olivia's Sublime Ice Creams awaited with treats. We cash bombed the heck outta these guys—most everyone bought ice cream, about half of us bought access to the gun range and one person even BOUGHT A $1,600 GUN! Who says you need a car to shop!?!

Seriously though, this ride was hard and we learned some good lessons from it that we'll incorporate future ride planning. We strive to make Year of Yay! a challenging but positive experience for all involved—you'll probably ride places you may not have tried otherwise, but hopefully it'll be a great experience that gives you the confidence to try it again on your own. This route, however, featured a too-long stretch of uphill climbing on a one-lane road with fast traffic, and frankly even the most experienced among us found it stressful to ride. In the future, each ride will be pre-vetted by the ride leader and approved by staff before the group vetting ride (which comes too late in the game for major changes) and we'll ensure that no one leg of the trip is too long (10 miles is definitely too long—this isn't a fitness ride!) or too tough on the ole endocrine system. Thanks for hanging in there while we worked this all out, and thanks to all who provided constructive feedback!

We are grateful to everyone who braved the heat to come out with us this month! Until next time...