This is a shameless attempt to save the the most advanced civilization in
history from imminent self destruction by eliminating carbon emission,
dependence on foreign sources of fuel,obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Cycling accomplishes all those things at once and helps us develop a better
understanding of ourselves, each other and our relationship to the cosmos.

Oh, horse puckey!
I like to ride bikes, have been doing it all my life.
The rest of that crap is just a fringe benefit,
and the blogosphere gives me a chance to share my interior
monologue with virtual rather than imaginary friends.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Shopping the "Metro Metric."

    Having been a single parent for nearly 20 years, I live with the dubious pleasure/responsibility of decorating any way I please.  While this does bring one a sense of stability knowing that the furniture does not require frequent rearrangement based on somebody else's whim, I have the responsibility of  making decisions.   I am looking for new window treatments. That means wandering around  in a department where men are completely ignored.  Most of the time I have the luxury of losing myself since the sales people in those departments assume that a man is not alone, but abandoned by a mate who actually knows the language.  It's not a bad life, and for a one who likes to spend a Sunday taking a long ride it can be a useful excuse.
     I have developed a route I refer to as the Metro Metric.   It's a long ride in which takes me on a figure 8 pattern through the whole town and passes two malls where I can take a break and do a little shopping.  It's not exactly suited for the spandex hamster and the pretend competition of the Sunday morning coffee shop ride, but it gets me a nice ride and I actually accomplish something in the bargain.  Here in the mythical borough of Kalamazoo we have enough infrastructure that I can cover a 60 mile route with only 5-6 miles on the streets. The rest is ridden over dedicated bike infrastructure; bike lanes, routes and mup's.

      While Sunday on the mup is not the best of all possible worlds for a cyclist, it can still be fun to take a moderate speed, enjoy the day and think of the multi-taskers strolling the baby while walking the dog, texting friends and listening to music on roller blades as a different tactical challenge than negotiating a 20 mph curve in the middle of a pack.
   As you can see, it was a beautiful day, perfectly temped in the low 70's with little to no humidity.  The multi-taskers were elsewhere.  There was a big plus to this afternoon.  A few weeks ago, I was in Washington and on the day THE cherry trees were at full bloom.  I was in  a hurry to catch my train, but did take a ride past the national mall.   There were throngs of captivated tourists with whom I could not relate.  I was so unimpressed that I didn't bother to take photos.Yesterday made me realize why.

I live where the springtime color rivals the fall.  Our town is covered with flowering trees of all kinds.  I was expecting too much from Washington. The cherry trees were pretty and all, but when I see it all the time I think my expectations were too great.

1 comment:

  1. Marc,
    I like the Metro Metric, it roll a half block from my house. I'll have to give it a try.

    David

    ReplyDelete