I had my favorite kind of ride today — bug out of work fast, change, pull the bike from the garage, and hit the road.  I took the bike (and trailer, with gym bag) down to the parkway and across, and then north on the South County Trailway.  You’re supposed to take the local roads for access, but it’s a happy day when I can hammer on to the Saw Mill Parkway for a few hundred feet and then exit to the trail.  It feels wild and dangerous for a few seconds … or maybe just a little crazy.  On the other hand, there’s a heck of a lot more width to work with than using 9A!  Maybe it’s just that the cars give a crazy cyclist a bit more room than one who’s just trying to the right thing along a narrow road with traffic.

I spent about 40 minutes humming along, trying to make the miles fly so that I could join my racquetball buddies by 4:30.  Then games till a bit past six and a slow ride back.  I stopped a few times to take pictures for a project — not ready yet — and a few others for this post (yup, the ones I’ve put up).  I was about halfway home before the thunder started.  I kept pressing the gas, but there weren’t any extra horses left under the hood.  I took the picture at the end and composed my thoughts before wrapping up the camer and racing the rain home.

Now I’m relaxing at home with a fantastic mocha cappuccino that is just about done. The house is a completely quiet, my oldest daughter — the soon-to-be-adventuress — is fast asleep on the sofa in the other room.  My wife is half asleep watching a movie before bed, and the younger daughter is mixing homework and tunes in her room.  Not a peep to be heard as I put up my feet and let my eyes droop closed….