Get out there

the horror ! I missed Bike to Work week whilst touring around Taiwan in one of those metal, 4 wheeled toxic spewing devises. Truth be told, I don't claim to be one of the holier than thou commuters that completely shuns automated transportation, riding my four stroke dirt bike (after driving it to the trailhead ) manages to install a perma-grin that lasts for days....plus I love the sound it makes when the throttle's opened ! Perhaps I can justify my motorized recreational habits by riding my bicycle some 1,500 plus miles to work every year. It's by far the most satisfying method of transport on a daily basis.

Bike riding, but more specifically, commuting is moving meditation, commuting by car is a supreme test of patience, having to be a slave to traffic lights, being hyper aware to avoid the mistakes of others..etc etc. It's the ultimate juxtaposition by being in control of your vehicle and it's space but having extremely limited control over your ways and means of movement. Time on the bike is time taking in your surroundings and turning over the pedals. Time in the car is super focused and at the same time, distractions galore abound. One of my favorite pastimes is sitting on my bike, perhaps on the bike path waiting to cross a street and just observing drivers "driving". Most are talking on the phone, some are checking themselves out in the rearview, digging for something on the passenger side etc. Doing anything to avoid the drudgery that is commuting by car.

I've preached bicycle commuting here before, but I'll say it again, if you can make it happen and it works in your lifestyle/schedule, etc....please try to get out there!

It you're not sure where to start, start here

Pinned

Sitting in SFO airport right now waiting for a flight to Taiwan. The past few weeks have felt as though the throttle's been stuck and feet have come off the pegs. I'm extremely thankful for some downtime spent with our friends on the western slope of Colorado. We managed to find some extremely unique accommodations in Paradox, Colorado and spent most days exploring canyons, mines, local trails and straying into Moab for a couple of day trips. I highly recommend bringing an Edward Abbey novel along with you to trips to the high desert.

The week's vacation was wrapped up with the Fruita Fat Tire Fest which made an excellent segue back into civilization. Two days after we sent our friends back to Maine, Jen's parents arrived for their annual "side trip" from Florida back to Maine. They kept themselves super busy amusing themselves with Jen's honey-do list that I tend to procrastinate on.

Now, I've got an week long Asia trip on my plate just a day after our guests departed. Already, I'm thinking that a trip back to Fruita on Memorial Day weekend is in order just to decompress from the past month. There's so much more singletrack left to explore with my name on it.