Today I rode with my friends “S” and “J.” I’ve written about them in past postings, and mostly about how much I admire their youthful energy. You see, they’re grandparents, and yet they’re amazingly active, fit, and ready to have fun! It’s my pleasure to know them.
It’s funny to me that I’ve only known them for a little over a year, but because we’ve shared so many things in common, I feel like I’ve known them for a lifetime. A couple of times on today’s ride we shared little bits of our pasts and it was funny. For example, I shared that I had spent five years living in Caracas, Venezuela when I was a teenager, and “J” responded with one big “Really.” She was surprised to hear about such a big detail of my life, and I’ve had the same thing happen when hearing more about details of their lives. Since we became friends in a bit of a reverse fashion, meaning we learned about our lives from the inside out, as opposed to the outside in. I think that we’re now filling in details. You see, we me through the “12-step Program.” So now it appears that we’re catching up on the pieces of our lives that are normally revealed during the due course of friendship. In the end I’m simply grateful to have met such a great pair of people.
They rode their tandem today which is always fun to watch, and especially since they’re partners that have been together for decades. I’m beginning to think that riding on a tandem bike should be a prerequisite to any relationship or marriage! They have their process nailed down.
We had what I’ve been calling a “civilized” ride today. Civilized to me has become the term that I use when a ride detours for things like coffee, tea, food, and such. I’ve been growing to enjoy these rides. Who wouldn’t? I rode over to Fairfax today where I met them at the Java Hut, and that’s where I imbibed a double cappuccino, and that wasn’t the end of my caffeine abuse today.
We rode over to Tiburon via Paradise Drive. We talked for most of the way and it was great to catch up with them. We stopped for a coffee and conversation in Tiburon. After talking for a while it was clear that we share the same high level of esteem for Serenity Knolls. It’s hard for me to separate the fact that it’s where my marriage ended, while it’s also the place where I’ve received so much help and have made so many new friends. It’s odd for me to think that I’ve made new friends through my wife’s stay in rehab, but that’s the case, and today was an example.
As we were concluding our ride near the BMX Park in Mill Valley, a woman that I’d guess is in her 80’s, was walking by with her cane. I apologized to her for being in her way a bit even though I don’t think that I was truly in her way, but I wanted to acknowledge her so that she knew that I could see her. The next thing that I heard was her body falling to the ground behind me. “J” was off the back of their tandem in moments, and I tossed my Colnago to the ground while “S” manhandled their tandem to the ground. All hands were on deck!
The very nice lady had lost her balance and fallen backwards. She seemed lightheaded to all of us and we encouraged her to stay seated on the ground. Fortunately there was a runner that had his truck nearby, and he stepped up to the plate in order to help. We helped her up and steadied her while the runner went to retrieve his truck. We helped her into the truck before she received her VIP ride back to the Redwoods, a really great retirement facility that’s located here in Mill Valley, CA.
It seemed so fitting to be with “S” and “J” while providing a random bit of service to an elderly woman that needed a bit of help. ;-) Good people do good things for others… It made me remember those that randomly helped my parents.
On a final note, I was once again struck by the sheer number of emptied bottles and cans of alcohol that line the roads in Marin County. There was a 24oz Coors can (pictured), and then a bottle of Champagne and various other cans of beer. I wonder when these people are drinking and driving, and then tossing them out their car windows. I used to think that it was Happy Hour that I needed to worry about, but now I know better than before. ;-)
32.76 miles
Calories burned: 1,888
Time: 2:41:22 hours
Elevation gain: 872 ft
Garmin Connect ride details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22363947
I had no idea today that I’d run into “Infamous P” while on my ride. It was great to see him especially since it’s been a long time. My life has become so busy and complicated that’s it’s been tough to stay in contact with many of my friends. I ran into him on the back side of Paradise Drive right around Paradise Cove. He was on a mission, and that was to get his ride in before his other life commitments come back online. You see, his idea of a brief respite from being a father of two, and being a business owner, is to ride his bike as far and fast as he can! That’s my kind of guy.
I peeled away from him so that I could get some more miles in today, albeit only a few. As I crested Camino Alto I stopped to take notice of the Alto Bowl Preserve that runs from where I was all the way to Highway 101. I noticed that the sign at the start of the trail had conflicting messages. In a square block on top it states that bicycles must maintain a speed under 15 mph. Then on the bottom there is a no bikes sign. Hmmm… I’d better ride my mountain bike there soon. ;-)
