Took the Surly Trucker DeLuxe and headed East on Saturday afternoon, the air a little warm, a little muggy, a little breezy, altogether pleasant if you like that sort of thing (I do).
Dugger Park in West Medford was the site of some sort of festival; my business was further East, the customary round of playing in traffic and surfing the hills, but I enjoyed the show as I rode past.
Perhaps it's the influence of the
Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, but I found I was regarding the drivers I was on the road with with a measure of detachment and compassion. This came in handy at various times, e.g. when the Lexus driver decided to make a road turn as I was in the middle of a fast descent on Fellsway East. There was a bit of zaniness among the drivers today. I kept my eye on them, and cut them slack as necessary, avoiding karmic entanglement and bodily injury.
I value this ride because it gives me confidence I can ride over the next hill. It also has a few little rewards from time to time, the Fellsmere
jets d'eau, for example.
Turned West, rode over a few more hills and played in a bit more traffic, then pedaled back to East Arlington to put the bike away and get on with the evening.
rod