I was at a Christmas party last night and it somehow came up that I’ve ridden a bull before. Twice. I haven’t thought about it in years. It was back in college at the vet school fraternity’s annual rodeo. I was heavily inebriated in both instances. I thought I’d put a picture on the blog so I don’t have to tell the story over and over again.
Ever since I bought a used bike and my wife restored her old one, she’s been bugging me to get out and ride the new Swamp Rabbit Trail extension in Traveler’s Rest, SC. The Swamp Rabbit Trail is named for the defunct railroad line that used to pass through the area until 1993. Eventually, it will connect to the larger Rails to Trails network that spans the East Coast. I’ve been reluctant to ride the trail because it’s still a work in progress. All of the rails and ties have been removed, but the path isn’t completely paved. Our bikes are old and without shocks, and I like my teeth the way they are. Still, we headed out to Travelers Rest and started riding toward Greenville. We didn’t know how much of the trail was finished, but we’d heard that portion was in good condition.
This benchmark is full of information.
I tried to do the 100 Push-Up Challenge last summer, but lost interest after about a month. Now that my wife and I have bikes, we’ll be riding to stay in shape. Cycling is really big around here.
Within a couple of miles (in any direction) from my house, I have a farmers market, a local butcher, a chain grocery store, and several restaurants. So I can use the bike to run several errands, as long as it’s not too hot. In honor of this new challenge to ride my way to a thinner waistline, I turn to the master for inspiration.
I’ve been wanting to start riding again. My mountain bike was stolen in DC a few years ago. The idea was to spend as little as possible on the best bike possible. That way, if I really take to riding again, it’ll be easy to justify buying a better bike later on down the road. And if I don’t ride it very much, I won’t feel too bad about the expenditure. I only work three miles from the office. I’m hoping I can ride to and from work a day or two each week, so I actually I need fenders and a luggage rack. I’m very patient when it comes to getting what I want, and it took me months to find what I was looking for.
