I got back into biking last summer. While shopping for a new mountain bike I read a quote by Gary Fisher. He believes that we should go for a bike ride every day. That idea affected me. It reminded me of a time in my life when my transportation needs were centered in a stingray bicycle and a group riding companions.

Exploring my world on a bike gave me some great experiences. I particularly remember back to the summer of 1972. My parents decided to buy 17 acres of ground in Farmington. We lived in Bountiful, about 8 miles away. To me, it seemed like the other side of the world. It was a long distance call. And Farmington is home to Lagoon amusement park. A place that we trekked to once or twice a year. It was far away.

My younger brother and I decided to go on a great biking adventure to see our new home. We'd been there with our parents by car. But we hadn't been there on our own. So we set out on a wonderful summer day to explore the trail to Farmington.

To this day I can't remember how we determined our course. We knew Farmington was north. That was about it. We rode north on Orchard Drive, a main road through Bountiful. In Centerville the road ended. We turned left and found ourself on a main thoroughfare with lots of traffic. We proceeded north on highway 89. It was a two lane road with a 40 MPH speed limit. There were hills and lots of cars.

We didn't have watches. We didn't carry water bottles. We didn't even pack a lunch. But miraculously we arrived in Farmington, found our new neighborhood and negotiated a path to our future residence. And we made a safe return. What an adventure it was.

This morning I rode the path from Farmington back to where I lived in Bountiful. It was just over eight miles. It took me less than half an hour on my road bike. I then went on to ride another 41 miles. It made me smile. The world seems smaller now. Traveling from here to Washington D.C. doesn't seem as amazing as that first bicycle trip to Farmington. That fills me with wonder...........
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