Went out on a bike ride yesterday. It was a beautiful Fall afternoon, and, after studying for too many hours, the unbelievable weather that we've been having called me to enjoy it. I got on my road bike for the first time in who knows how long. It has been 2 weeks since I got on a bike at all, and I've been spending all of my time on my tri-bike. While I enjoy riding my tri-bike, there's something special about how my road bike feels that always brings a smile to my face. In 17 years, I've had 3 different tri-bikes, and the same road bike.
I decided to go for a gentle ride on Fort Lewis. With Train buzzing in my ears, and sunshine on my face, it was hard to not be loving life. Mount Rainier was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. After passing through the gate on my way home, I turned left to head past the pet cemetery. I saw a black object lumbering down the road about 1/4 mile in front of me, and I knew it was a black bear. I slowed down, and thought about pulling out my phone to snap a quick picture, but realized that if it got spooked and decided to chase me, I'd be SOL. And as I got closer, I wondered if Momma Bear was somewhere close and decided that skipping the Kodak (would that be a Kodiak?) moment was a smart decision. I freewheeled to make sure the little bear heard me. When he turned and saw me, he jumped and bolted for the fence line, crashing head first into the fence. I turned right away from the cemetery and bear and rode home. As I looked back one final time, the bear was sitting up, looking directly at me; made me grin even more. On Fort Lewis, I saw one car and one bear. A pretty good ratio, I think.
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