Saturday, September 27, 2003

Two-Wheeled Adventure When I first arrived in Baumholder, Germany, I had no wheels to call my own.  I only had two feet and the goodwill of others to get me around.  Sometimes that goodwill wasn't around when I needed it, so I invest $79 in a mountain bike.  In that case, I got what I paid for.  It was fine for flat or downhill areas, but Baumholder has plenty of uphill battles to offer, and I paid for every extra penny I didn't put into a better bike. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to throw considerably more cash at a proper touring bike.  This time it was money well spent.  Last weekend, Carol and her husband, Ray, took me on a tour of the surrounding countryside by bike, and I never had such a good time on two wheels. Today I ventured out on my own.  For two hours, I pedaled hither and yon across the hills and dales around Miesau. I traveled mainly on the Glan-Blies-Weg bike trail which runs to the west of my town.  The Germans have the trail very well marked, and pretty much all you have to do is follow those signs.  Most of the way is paved and closed-off to only bicycles and pedestrians, though occasionally the path can turn into a dirt or gravel road. Along the way this afternoon, I passed some sheep having dinner.  Also saw some horses doing the same.  Even some swans and ducks were getting to chow down.  Frankly, I wanted to have a talk with those girls' mother about what sort of lesson she's teaching them by letting her kids throw perfectly good food at birds.  Hell, I don't even have any bread at home!!  The cruel injustice of it all. Luckily there's a small restaurant right across from those swans.  I pulled up my trusty mount to one of the tables, plopped down, and proceeded to order a beer.  Technically, liquid bread. After refueling, I decided to strike a pose by the lake, and by doing so, I quite possibly ruinned a perfectly good photograph. The rest of the trail was literally downhill from there.    I did pass some traffic along the way -- damn Lance Armstrong wanna-be's. The only significant uphill part of the way home was a bridge over Autobahn 6.  Just to prove that I am a dork, I took a picture of a car about to hit my shadow.  Dorky, but requires exquisite timing. From there it wasn't much peddling to pull back into my town of Miesau, where the only hazard is dodging old men with bad hips.  Soon I was back on my street and pulling into my garage, exhausted, but a better man for it all. 6:39:58 PM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.