40,000 miles!

This time of year we all get busy. Work is still going on but the holidays are here. 

Meanwhile, there are presents to buy and wrap, kittens who want to bite tree lights

Other cats who want to check out Rudolph.

Not to mention all the good food to eat! 

Now add to it the weather. We've had winds, rain, hail and this week even snow!

All in all its been hard to find a time to sneak in a bike ride. 

So, yesterday, when the snow had cleared, the winds had calmed, there was no rain and even a bit of sun, it was time to ride! 

While I was in the garage getting the road bike ready (air in tires, water bottles full, front and back blinky lights charged, cookie for a snack (ALWAYS have a cookie, makes the ride even more fun!) I happened to check out the odometer. 

Now just a bit of background. 

This is my second road bike. Back in 2013 some dirtbag stole my original bike. When he did so, I had 13,000 miles on the bike. So when I got the new bike and new odometer, instead of starting at zero, I started at 13K.  I've had to replace the cat eye odometer a time or two since then. I make a point to always make sure to make a note of the total miles, so I can keep my running miles going. 

I haven't paid a lot of attention to the overall miles in quite a while. In truth, when you ride the Oregon coast and see things like this. 

Milkes aren't important.

But Saturday I took a look, and I said aloud, "HOLY SHIT!"

Just in case its not clear, that's 40,739 miles. (forty-thousand) 

All pedaled with these 2 little legs! To put that in perspective, the circumference of the Earth is 24, 900 miles. (I just looked it up, Google is our friend!) 

And in truth, it should be higher. I now have, Roscoe, my fat tire bike as well as there road bike. I've got at least another 500 miles on him! These miles aren't reflected in the 40 K total

  

I started riding an keeping track of the miles in 2008, that means it's been 15 years of riding that got me to this point.

I started thinking of the rides I've done in that time. 

Twice I cycled from Astoria to California, once alone, and this last time with my buddy Rob.

I rode from Seattle to Portland not once but 4 times! 3 times alone, and this last one, I once again rode with Rob

I've got whole memory book to chronicle the organized rides I've completed, now and then I like to look over them. 

But that's not the purpose of this post. 

I took a moment and just thought some of the things I have seen, done and experienced on the back of two wheels. 

I've watch the sun rise over Lake Washington as I rode to work in the dark on the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle. 

I have been rained on

hailed on, snowed on, and been hit by crosswinds that damn near knocked me over, not to mention headwinds that brought me to a complete standstill.

I've raced the sunset home so I didn't have to ride in the dark, and hauled serious ass to get away from an oncoming lightning storm. 

I have also been sunburned 

and damn near frozen! 

I have seen elk, deer, whales, eagles, seal lions, river otters 

and turkey vultures (some of which were looking at me too keenly when I was tired! 

I've been on roads and trails, high elevations and sea level, bike paths and major highways. I've crashed and burned more times then I care to admit, but every time I got back on the bike and pedaled on! 

Only on a bike would someone leave work and turn a 5 mile commute into a 30 plus mile ride! Gunny, one of the ladies who works Chandler Reach winery loved to tell people, "This is Tony, he pedals 70 miles! just to come get our wine to take home. "(A big exaggeration, but who was I to correct her! ) 

So honestly. though I am quite happy and proud of myself for so many miles these legs have propelled me, it really aint about the miles. Louis L'amour said it best with 

That's what's important! The bike has let me see things I never would have without it. Hell just last month I saw fish jumping at the fishladder I discovered while riding my bike! 

The bike is truly magic. It relaxes me, makes me happy and helps me forget the stress of work. It keeps me healthy and when pedaling I feel more like a kid than an adult. 

Nope, I will not get another 40000 miles under these legs. But, I am far from done, this year I have a chance for 2500! Not bad for a 58 year old huh?