Bicycles

I'm looking into buying a bike. And I need advice.
It's use will be purely laid-back and recreational - peddling around a park or if I'm being more strenuous, biking up a few trails around the area. Which means no gradation at all. Because we're in Dallas.

So, any and all advice on the following would be helpful:
-bike brands or models suited for the aforementioned activities
-purchasing locations and general pricing
-car-toting equipment suggestions
-future biking locations! Parks! State forests!

Oh, and to get in shape for all of this biking, I'm thinking of taking a spin class at 24 Hour Fitness this spring. Any takers?

January Post-Dated Post

Ignore the saccrine post title.

Since I don't want to travel that far back in time, I'm going to choose my favorite photos from the Santa Fe trip and my birthday.


Santa Fe National Forest

Also, I just realized my photos from when Michael took me to St. Martin's for my birthday are all super dark. So, rather than making them look like a cartoon with lightening them up, I'll show you a professional photo from Google Images. Ahh, compromise.


Lovely times. I love snow, and I love St. Martin's duck.