50 Degrees Brings Out the Bike
I defied the weather forecast today and rode my bike to work!
And I got rained on during my ride home.
But I really didn't mind. Instead, I remembered the day on the Pacific coast ride when it was rainy, foggy, and cold, and I had no hat, no gloves, and no leggings. I was miserable.
Until I caught up to a couple of the guys who had reached the little town where our first rest stop was scheduled. We were ahead of the van, so we found a small cafe to get coffee and warm up. The server, the person bussing the tables, and the chef treated us like royalty even though our mud-covered shorts left the chairs a mess, and our jackets dripped water all over the floor around the table. We were given kitchen towels to dry off with. Our coffee was refilled without once having to ask, and the server gave us a heads-up on cycling the road out of town, what to be careful of. When we left that cafe, each of us felt ready to tackle the next twenty or so miles and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds.
Today, I rolled along happy. I go through times of being off the bike for one reason or another, more recently because of the below zero temps, snow, and ice, and it always feels like magic when I settle onto the saddle, push the pedals, and the bike moves forward, gaining speed with very little effort on my part. The freedom that comes with riding a bike is priceless.
Now that I know how long it will take me to get to work from home, since this was the first time I took the bike to work after moving to the new place, I know how long it will take me -- right at a half hour. Not bad. And a great way to mentally prepare for facing whatever the day throws at me.
The other day, I caught the bus to work. If I'm going to live a car-free life, I have to learn the bus routes. The bus stop is right up the street, maybe a hundred yards from the front door, and it arrives at 18 minutes past the hour as well as 48 minutes past the hour. This bus takes me to the hub where I transfer to the bus that takes me out to work. All in all, I'm looking at a half-hour bus ride to work, which I can use to write in my journal, read a book, listen to music, or look out the window. I looked out the window the other day because we'd had enough fog overnight and it was still cold enough for it to freeze that much of the landscape was sparkling while still shrouded in fog. It was beautiful.
Last night, Lovely Beautiful Daughter, Angel Baby and I went to see Tommy Wiseau's The Room. What a hoot! LBD had told me about the movie some time ago, and when she found out recently that a special showing was happening at one of the movie theaters here in town, she told me about it. I figured seeing the movie ranked right up there as a "Don't Squander Opportunities" moment, so I bought tickets for the three of us. Definitely the best "Don't Squander Opportunities" decision so far this year. I can see it staying at number 1 for the entire year. Unless I get that dune buggy ride in sometime this summer. Even then, it's going to take something really, really special to knock The Room from its number one position. And when a friend at work turned and saw me walking behind him this morning and said, "Oh hi, Jenn," in that same tone Johnny uses in the movie, I just cracked up.
And I got rained on during my ride home.
But I really didn't mind. Instead, I remembered the day on the Pacific coast ride when it was rainy, foggy, and cold, and I had no hat, no gloves, and no leggings. I was miserable.
Until I caught up to a couple of the guys who had reached the little town where our first rest stop was scheduled. We were ahead of the van, so we found a small cafe to get coffee and warm up. The server, the person bussing the tables, and the chef treated us like royalty even though our mud-covered shorts left the chairs a mess, and our jackets dripped water all over the floor around the table. We were given kitchen towels to dry off with. Our coffee was refilled without once having to ask, and the server gave us a heads-up on cycling the road out of town, what to be careful of. When we left that cafe, each of us felt ready to tackle the next twenty or so miles and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds.
Today, I rolled along happy. I go through times of being off the bike for one reason or another, more recently because of the below zero temps, snow, and ice, and it always feels like magic when I settle onto the saddle, push the pedals, and the bike moves forward, gaining speed with very little effort on my part. The freedom that comes with riding a bike is priceless.
Now that I know how long it will take me to get to work from home, since this was the first time I took the bike to work after moving to the new place, I know how long it will take me -- right at a half hour. Not bad. And a great way to mentally prepare for facing whatever the day throws at me.
The other day, I caught the bus to work. If I'm going to live a car-free life, I have to learn the bus routes. The bus stop is right up the street, maybe a hundred yards from the front door, and it arrives at 18 minutes past the hour as well as 48 minutes past the hour. This bus takes me to the hub where I transfer to the bus that takes me out to work. All in all, I'm looking at a half-hour bus ride to work, which I can use to write in my journal, read a book, listen to music, or look out the window. I looked out the window the other day because we'd had enough fog overnight and it was still cold enough for it to freeze that much of the landscape was sparkling while still shrouded in fog. It was beautiful.
Last night, Lovely Beautiful Daughter, Angel Baby and I went to see Tommy Wiseau's The Room. What a hoot! LBD had told me about the movie some time ago, and when she found out recently that a special showing was happening at one of the movie theaters here in town, she told me about it. I figured seeing the movie ranked right up there as a "Don't Squander Opportunities" moment, so I bought tickets for the three of us. Definitely the best "Don't Squander Opportunities" decision so far this year. I can see it staying at number 1 for the entire year. Unless I get that dune buggy ride in sometime this summer. Even then, it's going to take something really, really special to knock The Room from its number one position. And when a friend at work turned and saw me walking behind him this morning and said, "Oh hi, Jenn," in that same tone Johnny uses in the movie, I just cracked up.
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