Riding home from work

June 5, 2016

Hello,

I was not so busy with people yesterday and that makes the work day seem longer. But as sometimes happens, just when it was almost closing time at 4:00, someone came in. I like visiting with this person and I did not notice the time until it was after closing. At that point none of the closing chores had been done. So I hurried around doing those things, hoping I was remembering everything. I still had to change my clothes, pack the bike bag, and get on my helmet and gloves. When I got the bike unlocked and tried to move it would not. The gear was not right. There was a bike guy sitting on the bench so I asked for his help. I held up the back of the bike so he could turn the pedals. That got it solidly in gear. He then told me that it was supposed to rain in half an hour. “I hope not because I need a bit more than an hour to get home.” I remarked.

I hoped on, rode off, and succumbed to fatigue and doubt about getting home without being soaked. Several people passed me now because I was going so slowly. After about a mile or two I talked myself into a better more vigorous mood. In another mile I felt some rain drops and the clouds were definitely darker with a strong wind blowing in my face. My speed picked up in spite of the resistance. I met quite a number of bicycles some of which seemed to be groups. One man was looking at something on my side of the trail. He did not notice me until he was quite close. I had been thinking about what to do, run off the path even though there was a bit of a drop? Yell, but he had music blaring? When he saw me he immediately swerved back to his side of the trail. That happened later with one of the groups, but that is because they were visiting with each other and just having a good time taking up more than half of the trail. Every time I felt more rain drops I picked up speed and calculated if I could make it to the next overhang where I could, call Leroy to come and get me. Each time the rain held off and I kept going with encouraging self talk such as “you have gone five miles you have gone seven miles”. Finally I was back in Cedar Rapids with only three miles to go.

There is a place where the trail crosses a street. A rather large group of bikers were just hanging around on the other side taking up the entire trail path. I waited for cars, rode across and tried to get someone’s attention to let them know that I wanted to go through them. Finally I yelled and said I wanted to go on the trail. No one heard me or responded. I yelled two more times. I think I sounded like a banshee. I was feeling quite frustrated. I rode on the grass some, and got back on behind them. Part of the way home I use the city streets. There was almost no traffic so that was great. I was traveling on a street that goes from two way traffic to one way when I saw a car ready to turn onto the street from the left, where it was now three lanes all going in the same direction. There were no cars there just me way over in the right lane. I had planned to move to the left so I could turn off about three blocks down. That driver roared across the other lanes of traffic and came up behind me, looming large in my mirror. They revved their engine, scaring me quite a bit. As there was still no other traffic, I moved across to the extreme left side while the car zipped along in the right lane. I was grateful they did not follow me. It was a woman with children in the car. What do you think that was about? I also wondered if she had wanted to turn right immediately, but she was still on the street about four blocks farther on.

Because of all that excitement, I had forgotten about the street repairs, but the stoplight was working so I could cross in relative safety. I was grateful to get home but so tired it was hard to put one foot in front of the other. There was no rain at home, Leroy had set the table, and our downstairs friends had shared a pasta salad. Grateful for all of that blessing.

Paula