The day started out like any other non-law-breaking day. We woke up and were going to take a nice 20-mile bike ride. However, when we got to Elgin, we got to thinking, “We’re not going to have that many more nice biking days this season, let’s ride just a little further.”
Riding along, minding our own business, thinking we’ll do a 30 mile ride instead, we came across a barricade on the bike path.
We came across a barricade in the path
WHY? we wondered. We looked around and not seeing anyone, asked ourselves, “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like they’re going to confiscate our bikes and throw us in jail, right? Let’s just go take a quick peek and see WHY the path is closed.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way …
Where there's a will, there's a way
We find that they’re replacing the bicycle path — it doesn’t exist — so we’re walking our bikes next to the tracks. We can see another barricade a half mile, or so, ahead that’s stopping bicyclists from coming through the other way.
We’ll just sniggle around that barricade when we get there and keep going.
Walking our bikes next to the tracks
We can see that they’re building a new bike path and a bridge. We stop to admire the work. This is going to be fantastic when it’s finished!
They're building a new bike path and bridge
All of a sudden we hear something in the distance. It’s getting louder and has kind of a rumbling feel to it.
We turn to each other wide-eyed and say, “Oh crap! What’s that noise?” as we realize it sounds like a train!
Scrambling as fast as we can, we make it down into a work area with our bikes and turn to see a trolley ambling along, passengerless, the conductors smiled and waved as they passed.
Oh Crap! What's that Noise?
When we reached the “Stop, or I’ll gnaw my arm off now” point, we realize we’ve gone a little over 26 miles. Not too shabby.
Then in dawns on us, we’ve got to ride that same distance all the way back!
We’re so hot (90-degrees) we can hardly stand it. The little “rest area” we stop in has a water spigot. I turn it on, take my helmet off, and stick my head and shoulders gratefully under the cold running water. (yes, my eyes are still black and blue from the “gargling incident”) …
Laurie after sticking her head under cold running water
Len turns to me with a great big grin and says, “I think maybe we shouldn’t have left The Shire, Pippin.”
Len says to me, "I think maybe we shouldn't have left the shire, Pippin."
By the time we got back to Crystal Lake from Geneva, Illinois, we’d ridden 53.36 miles. Our legs are still wobbling!
“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
– Laurie Buchanan
www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All Rights Reserved.
Tuesdays with Laurie 