Lou has taken a leave of absence from writing his letters, so I have stepped in during the interim. Check it out.
Hello fellow cyclists! I am so ready for summer; this winter has been for the birds. The arctic cold and blizzard conditions are wearing thin on me. I drive on country roads a lot for work and sometimes find my self imagining these roads free of snow and ice. This then reminds me of those warm days spent on my bike. Sweat streaming down my body, my legs feeling like rubber, goofy tan lines getting ever darker… I really miss summer. Now I hear the groundhog saw his shadow, and we can enjoy 6 more weeks of spinning. Oh the excitement.
With February upon us my bicycle is feeling rejected! You see, during the spring, summer and fall we go out together all the time. We go to the grocery store, we go on long rides just for the sake of riding, we meet other bicycles and their owners and we ride with them, it is a blast. But alas it is winter and Kasey (yes I have named my bike) is chained to a trainer and used for only spinning. He longs for those warm days of the long ride, and I feel his pain. Now, I know, some of you are asking yourself, why doesn’t she just ride outdoors in the winter? The answer is plain and simple, I am a wuss. Yes, I know I work outside, and often 28 feet in the air where the wind chill seems unbearable, but that is not a choice, it is a job. I have decided that those who do ride outdoors in the winter might be a little crazy. If that last sentence fits some-one such as you, embrace the crazy, I find it’s much easier than denial.
Now to make up for my less enthusiastic riding schedule, I had to find new outlets. This past fall I decided to purchase snow shoes. Mostly I figured if I bought snow shoes it wouldn’t snow this year. That plan clearly worked like a charm. Every time it snows now, I can be found in the woods snow shoeing. I have seen wildlife, only deer and squirrels, but they are still wild. I get fresh air, there is the adrenaline rush of not knowing if I’ll get out of the woods before dark. This is all a very good time. I went snow shoeing on my lunch break this past week and even met a fellow snow shoe-er. He did a good job convincing me that I now need cross country skis, maybe next year. For me being in the woods is like a natural Prozac, winter blues disappear when I can see trees. I like to pretend I am good at tracking because I can tell the difference between human, dog and a deer tracks. It’s amazing how smart I am.
I do have one beef with the MCBC. When I first joined I was pretty excited that this club went on hikes in the off season, it says so in our opening statement on the website. I am yet to see some-one post a hike, so I decided that I would grow old waiting for some-one else to post a hike, so I took the initiative. This bike club is going for a winter hike on February 14 at 9:00 a.m. If you want to join us, I posted it on the calendar. I am hoping people show up, or else it will just be me and Waterson hiking around a lake on Valentines Day.
So, if you haven’t figured it out yet, Lou has taken a sabbatical. I have been asked to fill the void while we wait his return.
