Getting Started

I have been putting off starting this blog for a while as I'm waiting for some spectacular morning ride or great inspiration to hit me. But I realized during my ride into work today that this kind of thinking actually goes against why I wanted to start this Bicycle Commuter log in the first place. Every ride, I really can't think of one that doesn't apply, is much better than driving to work. And that enjoyment is what I hope to share with you. ...So what happened on the ride this morning.

After the long weeks of riding in the dark both to and from work, the increase in daylight hours is wonderful. I can now see beyond the reach of the headlight again. This week 2 foxes have been hanging out near one section of trail and this morning one of them ran across my path and then stopped to watch me travel on by.

It is strange how some series of events, sights, sounds, smells bring back a particular memory. At one point this morning I looked ahead and saw a cyclist crossing a bridge. Body and bike were a silhouette against a red pre-dawn sky. That image combined with the morning temperature brought my mind back to a business trip I took to Japan. Nearly every morning I would ride about 9 miles out to the ocean and back before work. The route crossed several bridges before reaching a much larger bridge where the Naka river empties into the Pacific Ocean. At the high point of the bridge is a bell that people ring to bring the fisherman good luck. Each morning I'd stop and ring the bell and enjoy the great view of the Ocean and see the fishing boats heading in and out of the river.