I already had one, a Canadian made Raleigh I bought in a bicycle shop in downtown Guelph. It's a road bike with about a hundred thousand miles on it. I remember the day I bought it like it was yesterday, which is ironic, because I can't actually remember what I did yesterday.
I was heading downtown with a bike purchase on my mind when I ran into my old pal Robert, who at that point would have been a relatively new pal. I'm talking thirty-five years ago or more. So he joined me on my bike-buying trip.
That bike was a lot of fun. I used to blast down the Gordon Street hill in Guelph, coming down from the U of Goo, weaving in and out of traffic and passing cars!
Robert is one of those guys on the fringes. He had a Juno nomination once, and he's got a novel coming out. He'd be a household name if he had the whatever to promote himself.
That said, I'm even further out on the fringe, and, getting back on track, after getting a goodly twenty years out of that Raleigh, it fell into redundancy once I got a dog.
Dogs do walks. They don't do bike rides.
So I've been walking for a long time. But we've come to a place where the last survivor, the 14yo rottie-shepherd I've been calling 14 years old for the last three years, can't do much of a walk anymore.
Enter the bicycle!
I went back to Canadian Tire, where the unmasked yahoos shop, the day after I got my ether. Bought myself a CCM mountain bike at 50% off. That's an old-school Canadian brand, but I'm pretty sure they're made in China now. Truth is, after so many years in the back of the garage, I was a little concerned about metal fatigue in the old Raleigh.
Had my inaugural bike ride last night, and it was an eye-opener. My first stop was the Kemble Women's Institute scenic lookout, which is about five miles up the road. As I'm pulling up there's an elderly couple just getting out of their car. They'd come up to the lookout from their place on the shore to watch the fog rolling in.
I know that because I spent five minutes conversing with complete strangers I randomly met on a bike ride.
Then I took the Kemble by-pass to get back to Concession 20. On a busy day there might be four or five cars per hour passing through Kemble. If you want to avoid the congestion, take the by-pass.
The by-pass is one of those canopied roadways that you hardly see anymore, where the trees on either side come together overhead. Up ahead there's an older couple walking their dog. Holy shit, they're holding hands! I love seeing that stuff!
I give them a heads up holler.
"Oh Jeez, you scared us!"
"I'm so sorry... I would have scared you more if I'd just sailed by."
I stop and chat with complete strangers, for the second time in a half hour.
Bear in mind I'm not the sort to stop and chat with strangers. Ever.
The Farm Manager, who keeps her phone in her pocket even when she's gardening, caught me coming home from that inaugural bike ride.
(Hey Peters, check out my helmet!)
It's called a bicycle. I highly recommend it.
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