We celebrated a friend's birthday last night. It was an adult-only, garden-style party. We watched the sun set, sipped our drinks while mingling with friends, then we ate at long tables on the patio. What a treat! Our children are not home with us at the moment. They will have spent nearly one month with their grandparents in England and Portugal. They called us (through Skype) this morning at 6:30. By the time we said good bye, it was after 7am. I had already packed my lunch, brewed the coffee, fed the cat and dog, and gotten the garbage and recycling together for trash day. However, feeling a bit hung over from the previous night's party combined with an early morning chat with the kids was eating away at my resolve to bike into work. I would have meetings all morning starting at 9am, and it would be so easy just to drive in or have Lysa take me to Pullman.
I looked outside at the cloudless sky and morning calm lying over Moscow Mountain. The thermometer read 55⁰ F, which is perfect riding weather. I'd wear a headband and light gloves to take the wind chill off. Decided. I'd stick to my ride.
There were lots of people on the trail this morning. In one group of cyclists, I'm certain I recognized some of my fellow (former) commuter-bus riders. They were riding 2 abreast. One was riding a three-wheeled "tric", and the others had road bikes. As I approached from behind, I didn't say anything. I was wearing my headphones (today my ipod played the Rolling Stones), so I wouldn't know how loudly I was speaking. It might come out in a whisper "on your left" or a roar "ON YOUR LEFT." I couldn't be sure, so I just slowed down and crept up behind until one of the cyclists noticed me. He said something that was inaudible to me but clear to the others because they jostled into a single file to let me by. I waved and said "good morning" and "thank you," which likely came out much louder than I had intended.
There is a definite etiquette to biking on the trail. On my first commuter bike, I had a little brass bell that I would ring. I haven't yet gotten a similar bell for my new bike. The ring would warn people that I was approaching. Most often the person I was about to pass would simply wave or move over. If not, then I would have to say "on your left" as I approached. I always fear that someone will then move to the left, so I slow down just to be sure. Occassionally I pass someone wearing headphones like me. These are usually joggers. A couple of times I have really startled someone out of their reverie.
I bought both of our kids bells for their bikes, and they use them with gusto. When Luke first got his bell, he would wait until he was right on top of a pedestrian to give it a good, loud ring. More than once he was greeted with annoyed, startled looks as he passed. He has since learned to ring the bell with some anticipation. As for crossing roads, they learned early on to make eye contact with drivers before moving onto the crosswalk. The concept of who has the right of way still baffles them. For a while, Maya would stop at every intersection even when she had no stop sign.
On the ride home, I had a slight head wind. I was in somewhat of a hurry because it was late and the dog needed to be let out and fed. Also, I had an appointment with friends that evening. I was pushing myself to go faster against the wind. When I got home, I was starving and also tired. This happens a lot when I bike to work on consecutive days. Over the summer, I taught a daily 8am class. I was on the trail by 6:30 in order to have time to change, check email, and get any last minute details for the class sorted out. Because I biked everyday, and because it was early, I was really tired and hungry in the afternoon when I got home. I typically took an hour nap after a big, late lunch. This helped rejuvinate me so that I could spend quality time with the kids home on summer break.
Tomorrow is a day of rest...
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