Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012

After my son’s and my lengthy bike ride yesterday, my son commented how it had seemed like “nothing”—the distance.  He then added that from now on when someone tells him they rode twenty miles, he wouldn’t be nearly as impressed as he once was.  Not that twenty miles isn’t a long ways to ride.  It is.  Just that it’s easier to crank out twenty miles on a bike than it is to run.

A number of years back, a bunch of friends of mine, who were into riding bikes, shared how they enjoyed riding from my old town to the beach and then back again.  But then, some sheepishly added how they would have someone meet them there to give them a ride back since riding forty miles home—all of it uphill—just wasn’t the least bit appealing.

No kidding! 

When my friends shared that they rode to the beach, I was impressed, thinking I’d never be able to ride that far on my bike.  But…the appeal of being able to ride my bike at the beach…that has always held great appeal for me.

After a comment made on yesterday’s blog, I was struck by how cool it is that I can now do just that—ride my bike to, along and back from the beach—without having to log forty miles or more each way.  Funny how that hadn’t occurred to me until now.  I was just so thrilled to ride along the beach with my son that all else just seemed to…slip away.

I thank Eli O, the reader who made me stop and recognize my good fortune, for making the comment he did!  Nice to lift one’s head up and see all the blessings one has….  : -)

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Today, my youngest son and I got to explore where I now live, up close and personal, on our bikes.  It was fun watching the mounting excitement as my son anticipated going on the ride, him not having been on a bike in…forever.  I looked forward to the alone time we’d have to share my new living area—together—discussing things we liked best about it.

The weather was spectacular for a ride!  We rode under a canopy of crystal blue skies, dotted with  a combination of windswept and buttermilk clouds.  There was a gentle ocean breeze that cooled us as we went along.

Mile after mile our bike tires carried us along, us riding intermittently on the silky sand, pavement and also dirt paths.  Together, we marveled over how much fun we were having, unaware and unconcerned with how far we rode.  Time mattered not, as we’d planned this as our main activity for the day. 

About a third of the way into our ride, I asked my son what his favorite part of the visit had been up till then.  He thought and responded that this ride was definitely his favorite.  Both of us smiled, nodding our agreement, and pedaled on.

We rode through neighborhoods, along the sand dunes, the beach itself, a couple of harbors, a marina and a handful of beaches.  Our tires carried us mile after mile.  Each of us is a runner, so we have strong legs and enjoyed getting to use those muscles in a different way.

By the time we rolled back to the front of my house, we were surprised to learn that four and a half hours had elapsed, each of us thinking it had only been a couple.  We put our bikes away and went inside.  Once there, my son asked if I had any idea how far we’d ridden, still amazed at how long we’d been gone.  I did some calculating, based on known distances I’d driven along the route we’d taken.  Redoing the math, I announced that we’d ridden at least 23 miles! 

Both my son and I were stunned.  Neither of us had sore muscles.  The only part of us that had begun to ache, and only began the last two miles of the ride, were our bottoms from having sat on them for so long.

LOL.

One of my favorite pastimes is to get out and explore the world through physical means.  Today was an absolute thrill, being able to do so with my son, us both tickled pink about how long we’d been gone, how far we’d ridden and the excitement of being able to share such a special bonding experience with one another. 

Can’t wait for our next adventure—whatever it may be!