The GGA Project -- Day #28 "Bicycles Running"

When my brother Kris and I were little, we lived really near the beach in southern California.  My parents used to always pack us up--one on the back of each of their bikes--and take us for bicycle rides along The Strand (if you don't know, that's the path Jack, Krissy, and Janet go roller skating along at the beginning of Three's Company--awesome reference, I know).

Kris always used to ask my parents when we were gonna go "bicycles running" again, which we always told him was cute but which my parents *actually* took as further evidence of my own superior intellect, by comparison.  But that's neither here nor there...  :P


Today's New Activity: Bike Riding on the Trail


This morning, I went with my Dad, who's a super biker (participates in a number of "centuries"--100 mile-in-one-day bike rides--every year, up and down crazy crazy hills, just for the fun (?) of it) to take the monkey on a ride.  I've never done this kind of biking.  I used to ride my bike around downtown San Jose when I lived there, to and from the Caltrain station or just out running errands, but I've never biked for exercise, or simply for the thrill of being outdoors on a bike.  Not since I was a kid, anyway.

So my Pops took us to a paved trail in the East Bay that runs from Dublin to Martinez or so.  It was freaaaaaakin' cold, so we got plenty bundled up.


I was a little worried about the monkey, because we finally got on the trail right around what would normally be his nap time, but he seemed pretty content to look around and take in the scenery, blabbing to himself for about 3 miles straight.

Being new to the scene (and with frozen toes and nose and fingers), I was only up for a 10-mile jaunt (chump change for my dad, but he humored me and took it easy).  The trail was beautiful in places, and riding on it, seeing the ducks and even a heron, and all the other people out there, I had this feeling I sometimes get where I can't believe that these things exist in this place every single day, and I've been missing it until that very moment.  It's a feeling that's simultaneously sad and happy...sad for the having missed, happy for the discovery.


After the hour we spent on the trail, including a mid-point snack break for the baby, we were famished and eager to get home and get pizza (!).  Just had to extract the by-then-zonked-out little guy.