Why I Ride

Testing my winter boots by venturing on a long ride to visit the Colchester Causeway during a sunny and
windless 23 degree afternoon.

Cycling is my chosen speed to move through the world.
At 10 m.p.h. I notice flowers, animals, and caterpillars. I notice ice sculptures, snow sculptures, sometimes melting, dripping, and morphing.

Because I have bike toured and camped extensively in my 20's and 30's, I'm comfortable traveling on my own. I much prefer a partner - my favorite companion is my husband - but I am confident planning solo cycling and hiking adventures. Sometimes, simplicity is key to following your own dreams, and traveling alone is worthwhile and necessary.

The ice formations were spectacular. I danced around icy patches before turning back due to treacherous surfaces.

Solitude and Contemplation
Like many riders who feel the need for two wheeled ramblings, rhythmically spinning is a journey to understand our place in the world, to work out life problems, and clarify our soul.

I brought a thermos of hot ginger tea to keep myself warm. I found a perfectly flat marble slab (of which the entire
causeway is constructed) for a brief break. 

I love riding because I dislike driving.
I often rode my bike to high school, which set the groundwork as a bike commuter. And later, I sold my first car so I could afford to move into the "big city", another example of the lack of importance that driving had meant to me. I'm thankful to have a spouse who enjoys driving, because an automobile is necessary for many Vermont journeys. If anything, more than ever, I rely on my bicycle for transportation, and in recent years, when weather permits, even throughout the winter.

The Green Mountains were cloaked in a fresh layer of snow.

Cycling has also become a creative outlet.
As a youngster, I loved to draw. As a teenager, I quilted (and occasionally still do) and sewed clothes in to my late 20's. I still dabble on the sewing machine, mainly repairing clothes, and of course for creating cycling accessories. I like to upcycle pannier parts, decorate handlebars, re-purpose bags for tool pouches, handle bar bags, or sew and design useful pouches and accessories from scratch. It gives me great satisfaction to solve baggage problems by breathing life into old equipment.

A serene moment before turning back.

Riding a bike is who I am. And will always be.