The Zen of Riding
I finally got off my butt and started bike riding again. It's been almost a year and a half since I last rode, I had let myself forget just how much I loved riding. Well, that and the fact that last summer in Chicago was no summer.
I rolled out of bed just as the first rays of the sun were reaching over the horizon, about 45 minutes before the actual sunrise. That was a good sign, there had been a possibility of rain, but I'd been hopeful. I went to have a cup of joe and a smoke outside with the dog, it was cloudy, but those perfect clouds floating by like some kind of animated oil painting on a field of pale blue.
Right as the sun was just about ready to begin it's own climb out of bed, I took off. This was the first time I had explored this trail, I'm new to this part of northwestern "Chicagoland". The trail is a designated street route where I was going to pick it up this morning, so I rode past the train depot and through one of the older residential parts of town, the type with old two story houses with large front porches, beautiful front lawns, and gardens, yet lived in, one of those old fasioned types of streets that would make a perfect movie set. I was almost the only one about though, even the train depot platform was empty, with the second train of the morning due by in about five minutes on its way downtown. Except, for the only other biker I saw this morning, a business guy commuting perpindicular to my route on his bike, with a smile on his face...always nice to see.
After half a mile or so, I reached the first of the paved trail, pretty standard fare to start, it began with a right of way for some powerlines, then on past a golf course, and a few parks, till it entered a grove of trees for nearly the last third of this segment. Well, it might have been standard fare if it wasn't such a beautiful morning...everywhere you looked the dew was turning to mist...rising up as the sun's rays warmed the air, as it was I was soaring, everything looked/smelled/felt perfect.
The next segment is through some of the Cook County trails. A good "breaking" point, since you need to cross a busy intersection twice before you get to the entrance. Even at this time of the morning there was traffic. The beginning of this part was perfect, covered by leaves, it's almost dark as I start out.
Something I forgot to mention, the trails (both the towns and the counties) roll constantly, not a lot, but enough to get a work out going up, and a thrill zipping down.
After a few minutes of this I encounter my first joggers, a diligent looking group, middle-aged, they seemed glad of my "on the left" shout before I got up on them, even though there were 7 or eight of them, they managed to only take up one side of the trail, and easily let me pass (of course you know I encountered a pair of joggers, not with this group, about a half hour later that were managing to use the whole width of the trail...that actually takes effort to do).
Then I broke out of the trees, and almost gasped....I was looking out over open, rolling fields with an occasional tree...mist rising up...light streaming in, although the sun hadn't pulled itself above the treeline yet. Right about now I was getting a double treat, my spirit was being lit by a breathtaking vista, and my body was finally kicking in those healthy emotion boosters that riding can give you.
I can't imagine a better way to "break my fast" of bike riding. I'm looking to start every day I can that way...and I can't imagine a better present I could give myself for my upcoming birthday.
I rolled out of bed just as the first rays of the sun were reaching over the horizon, about 45 minutes before the actual sunrise. That was a good sign, there had been a possibility of rain, but I'd been hopeful. I went to have a cup of joe and a smoke outside with the dog, it was cloudy, but those perfect clouds floating by like some kind of animated oil painting on a field of pale blue.
Right as the sun was just about ready to begin it's own climb out of bed, I took off. This was the first time I had explored this trail, I'm new to this part of northwestern "Chicagoland". The trail is a designated street route where I was going to pick it up this morning, so I rode past the train depot and through one of the older residential parts of town, the type with old two story houses with large front porches, beautiful front lawns, and gardens, yet lived in, one of those old fasioned types of streets that would make a perfect movie set. I was almost the only one about though, even the train depot platform was empty, with the second train of the morning due by in about five minutes on its way downtown. Except, for the only other biker I saw this morning, a business guy commuting perpindicular to my route on his bike, with a smile on his face...always nice to see.
After half a mile or so, I reached the first of the paved trail, pretty standard fare to start, it began with a right of way for some powerlines, then on past a golf course, and a few parks, till it entered a grove of trees for nearly the last third of this segment. Well, it might have been standard fare if it wasn't such a beautiful morning...everywhere you looked the dew was turning to mist...rising up as the sun's rays warmed the air, as it was I was soaring, everything looked/smelled/felt perfect.
The next segment is through some of the Cook County trails. A good "breaking" point, since you need to cross a busy intersection twice before you get to the entrance. Even at this time of the morning there was traffic. The beginning of this part was perfect, covered by leaves, it's almost dark as I start out.
Something I forgot to mention, the trails (both the towns and the counties) roll constantly, not a lot, but enough to get a work out going up, and a thrill zipping down.
After a few minutes of this I encounter my first joggers, a diligent looking group, middle-aged, they seemed glad of my "on the left" shout before I got up on them, even though there were 7 or eight of them, they managed to only take up one side of the trail, and easily let me pass (of course you know I encountered a pair of joggers, not with this group, about a half hour later that were managing to use the whole width of the trail...that actually takes effort to do).
Then I broke out of the trees, and almost gasped....I was looking out over open, rolling fields with an occasional tree...mist rising up...light streaming in, although the sun hadn't pulled itself above the treeline yet. Right about now I was getting a double treat, my spirit was being lit by a breathtaking vista, and my body was finally kicking in those healthy emotion boosters that riding can give you.
I can't imagine a better way to "break my fast" of bike riding. I'm looking to start every day I can that way...and I can't imagine a better present I could give myself for my upcoming birthday.
posted by Johnny Lightheart at 9:55 AM
1 Comments:
Beautifully written, visually stimulating.
But I really wish you wouldn't let the dog smoke or drink coffee. :-)
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