Life in the Bike Lane

Cycling gives you the chance to see all manner of wondrous things, if you will just take the time to look about you. The spider who spun this web was very clever, as there were dozens of gnats bobbing and weaving nearby in the sunshine.

Some of my friends enjoy cycling with a soundtrack, and I admit that the iPod Shuffle mounted on Arriva headphones is an ingenious solution. But with decades of music stored in my head, the gizmo seems unnecessary.

As I cruised to the start of today's ride at Almaden Lake, my internal music source triggered on an Eagles tune, Glass in the Bike Lane (surely make you lose some air). Okay, I improvised on the lyrics. I'm not an Eagles fan.

Without headphones, my ears are open to the songs of birds and the whoosh of the wind, alert for the sound of approaching vehicles and other hazards - like the hooves clattering on the pavement next to me one day when a young buck decided to charge me, or the only time I've heard the eerie cry of a hawk circling overhead.

Other than glass and the ubiquitous cigarette butts, today's roadside debris included a small right shoe (tossed by a petulant child?), a shiny CD, and one of those little plastic flossing tools. Somehow I'd expect that a person so committed to good dental hygiene would also respect the environment, but what do I know?

Today's ride was flat and social; I enjoyed good conversation, a circuitous route through suburban San Jose, and a large chocolate croissant. Not without guilt, enjoying another 68-degree day when much of the country is suffering a deep freeze. But look at this view from my (hilly) route home. How could you not bike on a day like this?