BIKE GANG, American Style

How do you show your patriotism? By hanging one million flags on a highway overpass, that's how. This is the bridge over 71 on West Main Street. Show some respect, you!

After two practice runs over the weekend, I finally got my crap all together and rode my bike to work. All in all, it's a pretty easy route, but I still managed to show up to work a dishevelled overheated mess. I don't care. It was awesome.

I have to drive about six minutes from my house to the Alum Creek trail-head because the road I live off of would be suicide on a bicycle (for me at least). So, I park beside a craft store in Easton, and then get on the trail. Of the twelve miles I ride to work , the first three quarters of it is all along dedicated bike trails. They follow the creek, connect city parks, and border small residential neighborhoods finally taking me to Cleveland Avenue where I have to get on the streets and deal with humanity. The ride is a little over twelve miles long, but the first three quarters is along the Alum Creek bike trail. (For those playing along at home: Westerville Bike Trails.)

It's a really cool ride, but I'd like it even more if there were someone to do it with me. There's a girl at work here who is considering it, and I think she's going to do a practice run at it this weekend, so that would be cool. I'm also thinking about posting some fliers around the offices here (got BIKE GANG?) to let people know there's a good way to get some exercise, stick it to the gas man, and offer anyone who wants to come along. It would be cool if there was a little group of people that would ride to work a few times a week.

First things first though, I've got to get my bike a bit more commuter friendly. If I'm going to keep at this, I'm going to need a headlight before long and maybe something to make me more visible from behind. Also, I've been kickin' it old school sans helmet, and with me being on the streets some I'm going to have to rectify that. I've avoided it because I have a fat head and I don't want to look like I've got half a ping pong ball stuffed down on it, but whatever. It's the law of averages...sooner or later some chucklehead is going to swipe too close to me and I'll have to bail. Might as well be wearing a brain bucket when it happens.

So, tonight I ride home. Along the way I have to stop by and see the good folks at CHA and help walk some doggies for an hour and a half (the shelter's back yard actually meets the bike trail) and then onward home. I'll probably be asleep by nine.