Life, Crochet, and Turning 43

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Join me as I celebrate turning 43 with a 43-mile ride around the lake, reflections on life, and the crochet project I worked on that week.

This birthday week was one for the books: I biked 43 miles around Keuka Lake AND found so much joy in working on my Hearthside Cowl. Between the lake views and the calming rhythm of the sedge stitch, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate turning 43.

Cycling, Reflection, and a Birthday to Remember

So let me back up and tell you the whole story…
When it comes to birthdays, I’ve never really been about gifts. I’m more of an experiences kind of person because memories last forever, while gifts tend to fade into the background. This year was no different — and I decided to do something that had been on my summer bucket list for months: ride my bike all the way around Keuka Lake.

I turned 43 this month. When it comes to birthdays, I’ve never been much of a “gifts” person. I’m very much an experiences kind of gal. I always say: memories last forever — gifts tend to fade away.

So this year, instead of birthday gifts, I decided to give myself something that had been sitting on my bucket list all summer long: a ride around Keuka Lake.

If you’ve never seen it on a map, Keuka Lake is one of the Finger Lakes, and it’s shaped like a “Y.” Conveniently enough, the perimeter is about 43 miles — the perfect way to celebrate 43 years. A mile for every year of life.

The Ride Begins

I had my route all mapped out. Start in the adorable town of Hammondsport, ride 21 miles to breakfast, continue 13 more to a lakeside lunch stop, and then finish back where I started.

Life, Crochet, and Turning 43: Keuka Lake overlook

That morning, I had butterflies in my stomach. I ride a lot around my own lake, but I had never circled Keuka before. And while I’ve done 20-25 mile rides plenty of times (and the occasional 35), 43 miles was the longest I’d ever gone. I knew I could do it — but it was still uncharted territory.

Would there be monster hills? Long climbs? Or would I luck out with a mostly flat route? There was only one way to find out.

I clipped on my helmet, sunglasses, and lights, zipped up my thermal jersey (it was a chilly September morning), and set off. Right away, the view of the sunrise over the lake was breathtaking. I kept an easy pace — this wasn’t about speed. This was about soaking it all in.

Adventures Along the Way

About 7 miles in, I stopped at a marina to snap a photo of the water glowing in the morning sun. Peaceful doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Then came a curveball — road closed signs. I’ll admit it: I ignored them. At first I kept seeing traffic and thought, it’s fine, no big deal. But eventually the cars disappeared and, sure enough, the road was completely blocked by construction vehicles.

Luckily, one of the workers was kind enough to pause everything and wave me through. Crisis averted!

I reached Branchport — the first “arm” of the Y-shaped lake — a really cute little town!

Then I carried on to my breakfast stop. An iced chai latte and a chocolate croissant never tasted so good. I lingered a bit, watching the world go by, before hopping back on the bike.

Thirteen miles later, I treated myself again (it was my birthday after all!). A lakeside restaurant was calling my name, and I couldn’t resist spinach artichoke dip with pita bread and a sparkling apple cider-ginger mocktail. Pure joy.

The last nine miles? A rollercoaster of bunny hills. Up, down, up, down. Not terrible, but I was ready to see Hammondsport again. When I finally spotted my Jeep, I felt such a rush of pride.

43 Miles for 43 Years

That ride felt symbolic. Forty-three miles, one for every year of life so far. Each mile a memory, a challenge, a hill to climb, or a beautiful stretch of road that felt easy.

I’ll admit, I was a little emotional (not to sound dramatic, lol). I thought about how grateful I am — for my health, for my family, for the life I’ve built. Riding those 43 miles felt like a celebration of all of it.

Life, Crochet, and Turning 43: I did it!

My Birthday Week Project

During that same birthday week, when I wasn’t on the bike, I was working on what would become one of my favorite designs: the Hearthside Cowl.

This pattern has since been released, but back then I was deep in the making process, and it couldn’t have been a better companion to my birthday reflections. The sedge stitch it uses is so comforting, almost meditative. Stitch by stitch, it builds into this beautiful texture that just feels so cozy.

Life, crochet, and birthdays all have that in common, don’t they? It’s about the journey, the miles, the stitches, and the memories we gather along the way. Just like my ride around Keuka Lake, working on the Hearthside Cowl reminded me to slow down and enjoy the process, not just the finish line.

Thanks for joining me in this little crochet diary. I’ll see you in the next chapter of Crochet Diaries.

XOXO,
Christine