Just Riding Along... Day 19.

I feel that this sticker sums up my month long experiment. Kind of in a dirty way, but still sums it up.

Tonight's ride, in the rain, was a quick little jaunt to the grocery store to buy some beer. Only around 4 miles total, but a nice quick ride, late in the night. This was also my first time loading up the T500, which it surprised me quite a bit. After riding it for a while with the flat bar setup, I had forgotten that it is a tried and true touring bike. I did not even notice the weight of the 10 bottles of beer strapped to the rack. True, not a lot of weight, but you would expect to feel something. The only time it was noticeable was when I stood and danced on the pedals while climbing. To get the beer home, I used a canvas reusable grocery bag, a ratchet tie down strap, and a bungee cord. Worked pretty well, but I think some panniers are in order for this bike!

At work, we are doing a holiday beer exchange. Six people bringing in six different holiday brews, and everyone take one of each. Pretty straight forward, and easy idea. My selection is from Clipper City brewing, their winter Heavy Seas. The other selection I have wanted to try for quite some time, North Coast's Old Stock Ale. I really like North Coast, so I am sure this one will not disappoint.

Tomorrow is day 20, planning on a morning ride to mix it up a bit. I cannot believe how fast this month is going, 2012 is almost here.

Just Riding Along... Black Friday Ramble.

This year, for Black Friday, there was no agenda. No shopping trips for electronics, no standing in lines, just dinner in the afternoon. My only tasks on my list were to pick up trash bags, and entertain my daughter and nieces. Not a bad list for things to do. So I got up a little early, and headed out on the T500 to see how she fared on a mixed surface ride to the convenience store for trash bags.

I started the ride at our local nature preserve for a quick buzz through the little used trails. Mostly double track, with a tiny bit of single track, this little area was a nice shake down to see how the bike handled in the dirt. Not too bad if I do say, but I definitely think that some wider tires might be in the future. Lots of fog was out in the AM, so I then decided to double back into town to connect with the Little Miami bike path to spend some time on the flats.

The bike moved effortlessly, and that made my mind start to wander. It started with the Steve Jobs quote of "The computer is the bicycle of the mind." That quote is fantastic, and in turn made me admire at how great a tool the bicycle is. Sure it is a tool for transportation, but also for the mind as well. It is a tool to relax your mind. Once I had settled into a comfortable cadence, everything melted away. My mind did not have to think of what to do, it just did. Pedals up and down. My mind was elsewhere, dancing around in the fog, which was out in full force. It made me realize that from time to time, we all should take the long route to pick up our trash bags. I ended up doing around 12 miles for a trip that is only around a mile away. That is called piece of mind. That is what we all need from time to time.

Ramble on...