First Commute in Weeks

I dusted off the single speed yesterday and commuted in. I was hesitant as the last time I had three flats on the ride in. The pollen count in Austin was the highest ever, according to one of the sniffling crew at the office. I found that out after I road in. The meds I'm on for the cedar fever really mess with my brain. I can think and write but I can't think and make a decision. Like whether or not to have another cup of coffee or whether to take this road or that road. Weird. So with the meds kicking in I went a couple more miles north than I should have.

The roads I took worked out getting to the new office. There was a patchwork of bike lanes that made east/west travel manageable.

The ride home went much smoother. I just pointed the steed in the general direction of the University of Texas campus and let the meds take over. Right, then left, then a little forward. Again, found mostly bike lanes. At this time I was thinking of pulling over to the nearest pub and making the venture home into one long pub crawl but I had less than 90 minutes of sunlight left and no illumination for the bike.

I did manage to run out of sunlight right about Doc's Backyard, a local brew and restaurant establishment that resembled the old southern Texas ice houses from the past. So I tethered the steed to the fence and mosied up to the bar in my full lycra kit.

Cyclists attract other cyclists, runners other runners, Linux users other Linux users and roller bladers, well they just attract flies. I hadn't been at the bar longer than 20 minutes when three biker dudes pulled up stools. These three looked like Marshall Bruce Mathers III , these urban slim shady poets of the dirt & cog ordered Micheladas and then proceeded to tell me there's nothing better after a hard ride. The body craves the vitamin C from the tomato and lime juice plus the salt to restore the electrolytes lost bangin' that last 400 foot hill. No, these Eminem nutritionists knew their cocktails as well as they knew their Gary Fisher hardtails. The Michelada de la Luna is absolutely the first thing to drink off the trail or the street.

After sharing a few rounds with my new friends the sag wagon pulled up. It was time to go. There were showers to take and new neighbors to meet at a party.

It never fails. Although there are times when the ride/ run sucks, 99% of the time there are things seen or people talked to that never would have happened had I sat on the couch or drove the car. And each time I'm reminded of that.