I have a bike! I
no longer have to wait for the bus or walk miles all day long to run errands or
get back from work or go to dinner!
I don’t mind
walking but there are times I just want to get there (anywhere) faster than my
own two feet can carry me. And it takes a toll! I know people say walking is a
great way to lose weight and they are right. However, none of my pants fit me anymore
and I am on the last notch in my belt.
The base has a bike shop here that lends bikes for free. I am still on the waiting list for one of those bikes.
The bike – not yet
named but feel free to make suggestions – was liberated from a rusty
demise. It had been abandoned,
unchained, without a seat over near the barracks. In fact there are a lot of abandoned bikes around; people just left them, locked up, without paying it forward to a new owner. However, someone knew I was looking for a set of
wheels and fixed this one up for me. It’s
rusted, the gears barely work, and it looks like it has been sitting in the elements
for over a year – but it works.
This will come
in handy in about 40o – 50o. I can’t imagine
walking a mile back and forth to work and all the places in between when it is
over 120o outside. At least
the bike will get me there quicker.
Oh yes, by the way, we have a vehicle. Two, actually. I did not get a license here - yet - because if I want to go somewhere people drive me. So while I could drive back and forth, my guys use the cars far more than I do. Besides, I wouldn't use a car to run errands here anyway.
I haven't ridden a bike in years aside from the occasional ride with TJ. Already there have been some valuable lessons. There is a trick to pedaling in sand, try not to stop. I have to remember the rules of the road because there is traffic all over the base. If it looks like you can't fit between cement barriers, STOP! My ass is already sore - it's only been a day. And since I don't have a lot of meat on it right now its going to be a while before I walk right.
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