Wed, 20 Aug 2003

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Although I haven't recorded a blog entry for every ride and every experience, I decided to jot down a few one-liners that summarize many of them.

The good:

  • The Canadian Geese we see flying low along the Spokane River while we ride the Centennial Trail.
  • The box turtle we saw crossing the trail.
  • The car load of teens that gave me huge smiles and thumbs up, amazed that I was able to keep pace with them for over a mile.
  • The other cyclists we met on the road that saved our day by loaning us the use of a chain tool.
  • Incredibly gorgeous sunsets at the end of some long rides.
  • Miles of road, often all to ourselves, with great sights, sounds, and smells.
  • Passing a long string of cyclists on road bikes and looking back to see that Jenny is still tucked into my draft on her mountain bike.
  • Topping the 1.35 mile climb up Highway 27, out of breath, heart pounding, in record time.
  • Finding a 6-inch crescent wrench on the road, invisible to the automobile traffic.
  • 20 MPH tail winds.
  • Finally getting fit enough to wake up the day after a long bike ride with no soreness.
  • Long rides with Jenny. (She look much better in Lycra than my other cycling companions. <g>)

The bad:

  • Getting a flat on the hottest day of the year.
  • Glass and debris in the bike lane.
  • Getting a flat in the rain because the glass in the bike lane is invisible when wet.
  • Pinching a hole in the spare tube while fixing a flat at the side of the trail.
  • Seeing Jenny almost go down when her front wheel overlapped my back wheel. (Although, it was amazing to see how masterfully she handled the bike, avoiding a crash.)
  • Having Jenny take a spill and learning later it was because I hadn't kept up on the maintenance of her bike.
  • 20 MPH head winds.

The ugly:

  • Motorists that shout insults.
  • Motorists that take their share of the lane even when I'm in it.
  • A car load of thugs that threw things at me. (Although, seeing the surprised looks on their faces when I caught up to them a mile down the road was fun!)

[/cycling] [link]

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