Oh, how wonderful, Jim!
Y'know...there's no bad ride, no matter the distance. Getting out on the bike at whatever level s the thing.
I was thinking of this again on my ride yesterday. When I was an undergraduate at university, I signed up for something called "The Century Club". People -- runners, swimmer, cyclists like me -- logged their mileage and it was charted on a big poster. Self-competitive person that I was/am, that's all it took to put me in the Mileage Trap. I rode 8,000-12,000 miles every year, like clockwork through my four undergraduate years, and on into my post-grad studies. I rode well, I rode sick. I rode with walking pneumonia. And y'know what? It became sorta not-fun anymore for awhile. I'd even awaken at 4AM with my heart racing, a classic sign of overtraining.
So, I took off my odometer for awhile; no distance calculation...just riding for the joy of it. And, I became a far better cyclist. I loved the zenlike notion of gaining by letting go. By giving my body a chance to recover I could do more, and then I discovered the joy of longer-distance riding -- with the foreknowledge it could hold the same trap as the Century Club. When I was sure I'd learned the lesson, I got a computer. Lots of fun, but Fun in Perspective. Truly, a neighborhood ride
is as nice as 400km through the Cascade Mountains.
Small stuff compared to many, but I'm only comparing against myself!
You've got the core of it and don't need an epiphany! I think you did
great, and what a beautiful destination. Fascinating architecture, and you can surely be proud of that access ramp -- it's a beauty! The bike is looking fine, as well. I forget...did you ever choose a name for it?
Thanks for sharing; great stuff, as always!
Best,
Dan.
