Tag: biking
Journal Entry # 22 – Happiness is a Butterfly
Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Journal Entry # 21 – To the sunshine!
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.”
– Helen Keller
Journal Entry # 16 – Get away to refill…
“People empty me. I have to get away to refill”
– Charles Burkowski
Journal Entry # 15 – Ride!
“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride” – Eddy Merckx
Journal Entry # 7 – Health is Wealth
Today…Health is wealth…balance your ledger!!
Journal Entry # 3 – Screen Time
Today…
‘Screen time is unavoidable really, but still very much controllable.
Sometimes you need to unplug…to recharge.’
Bike Rider Rides Again
Bike rider rides again, the air was fresh, I had a few hours before sunset and I was completely under-dressed, brrr it was cold at first. No excuses, I’ve neglected my bike for far too long lately, I couldn’t take it anymore, I was going no matter what. My sights were set on downtown, I felt like it was far enough for a good ride and close enough to pull the plug at any point. My first obstacle was going down this huge hill, I was not a fan, seeing loose gravel and the fact that I love my skin, I had to be extra careful. Alright, made it down the hill intact, off I go…first stop.
There were people everywhere, Saturday night meant everybody was slowly congregating to their local watering hole for a fun night out, there was so much energy, loads of activity.
The pic above is of a portion of a street by the name of George Street, this street holds the record for the most bars per capita in Canada. Spent many a night a patron of this multitudinous strip of firewater and ale, this street has loads of character, good times.
I all too soon realized that not only was I getting a good workout in, my trek was also proving to be a mental detox, I took a extra second to take a look at things, it replenishes the soul, I was glad I embraced my impulses.
I’ve said this all before but I will say it again, we need to slow things down and take it all in, don’t let life pass you by, get out there and reward yourself with the beauty of what’s around you. Scour the neighborhood and you’ll be surprise what you find.
I continued on, weaving from sidewalk to sidewalk, thinking about my next move. There was a destination that I had in mind, it was just right there, Signal Hill. Really Ash? What stood before me was a long and winding slope that would take everything I had left to bike my way to my own personal Everest(exaggeration but still). Fact is, I’ve actually never ridden up there before, I didn’t know what to expect, but I had come too far to turn around now…..gulp.
Well, the juice was worth the squeeze, no doubt, when half way to the top and I am blessed with the view pictured above. It was beautiful, could have stayed there all night but the end was nigh, I could taste it, no wait, that was a fly.
Victory I tells ya, ah, sweet victory, I made it to the top, look at me now mom! Lol, no but really, it really paid off pushing myself at the the very end. It was a tough run but behold some of the views that awaited me, doesn’t this made it all worth it, and it was all free.
Oh, I even had the opportunity to meet this guy, there were a bunch of people around so I didn’t catch his name but he was quite photogenic.
It was great way to spend a Saturday evening and I hope you like the pictures, figured I’d share them so you can enjoy things through my eyes.
Until the next Bike Rider adventure….lol, maybe I should get a cape!!….I should.
The Rain Made Me Do It
I surveil the abstract of raindrops as they slither the outside pane
its journey, merely a moment in time
each tiny drop…
they dazzle like fireworks synchronizing with my deluge of thoughts now cached from a once juvenile me
I beam with the sound of the pitter-patter
the torrent tone lulls me to a reminiscent state as I recall the stories of my olden
Bike Rider
What a day!!!, and I took full advantage of it. Today was another holiday Monday so I was eager to hit the trails early and see where two tires could take me. I had a quick breakfast, greased up the bike and boom, out the door, nothing but the warm sun and dusty trails in my future. A few ideas on where I wanted to go were popping up in my head but with the beauty of a bike, all that would change as quick as walk and don’t walk. Taking off from the house, zipping down the sidewalk, as long as I have two legs and a heart beat, anywhere is possible.
It was very hot, so I made sure to bring extra water which is vital on a day like today. You have to remember to hydrate, and oh yeah, make sure to wear sunblock, I was one for one and now I have a print where my backpack was. Anyway, there I was, riding through the park and taking it all in when the above caught my eye. I had to take a picture, I guess it was the way the red was contrasting the green. This brings me to a side-note, my photography, which I hardly call it that, is another benefit of getting out on the bike. I find that I absorb more of my surroundings, I see things that make me circle back and take another look. It’s poetic, I can take a simple moment like the above and interpret it any way I see fit, it’s natures way of giving back because I’ve finally slowed down to take notice. There’s something calming about my bike rides, it’s like i’m a boy again with the adventure, silly I know, but get on a bike and see how you feel.
I took it up a notch and went downtown, took the trail way all the way down to the south side point, and made good time too I might add. One bike bucket list for me was Fort Amherst, which is a historical site within the city that’s easily accessible and provided the perfect backdrop to a already awesome day. All of these pictures are from there, it was too gorgeous not too capture a few shots to share. I grew up in a very small rural community, so seeing the water, the boats, and the wharves brought back some really cool memories…ah the ocean.
Crazy happy to get out for a ride today, 36k for a couple hours wasn’t too bad. Have to say though, I’m pretty tired from the trip and along with the sweltering sun, it kind of zzzzzzzzzzz, oops sorry, it kind of kicked my butt to be honest. It’s a good butt-kicking though, you know?, after you go one on one with mother nature. To challenge yourself to keep moving forward with everything you got, trust me, I had some moments but I dug deep and got through it. There’s a fitness perk with this bike riding too which is another reason I feel in love with it all over again. Yup, since I started biking I have discovered a whole new world right under my nose. Places in this city I never knew existed and it’s still keeping me on my toes, even today was another road less traveled for me. My bike, much like writing, have become passions of mine, and today I got to do both…life is good?
Your turn…
Earth To Ash 