Big Bikes

Survivorman

Yup, still writing about Cali here, at this rate I'll be caught up in time to post my Single Speed World's report (september 2nd).
It was raining in the AM, not looking like a good day for the riding of the bikes.
I sat in front of the computer looking up guitar tab for Dylan songs and drinking coffee after coffee. Around three it cleared up so I set out for a short ride, shortly into the short ride it began raining again, awesome. I went back for my rain jacket, retrieved it and set back out for the Golden Gate Bridge, as I neared the bridge the weather began to look downright lovely. I continued on to Sausalito, instead of heading up the bike path for a loop on Paradise which would inevitably end with blinky lights on I opted to ride as far up Tam as I could before dark, telling myself that I would turn around at dusk and head for home, here's where the bad decisions start piling up.

It was cold on the mountain, and I was climbing, I stopped to pilfer a newspaper from a driveway to shove in my jersey. When I hit the junction with the Panoramic highway I decided to continue on up to the peak "thinking" that I would call my friends Pete and Mo and ask them if I could pick up their car in Fairfax and take it back to the city (I was to house sit for them over the weekend so I though this would expedite the process of lugging my gear up to Marin). First problem...no reception on the mountain, second problem...it was already getting dark and it's an hour or so to Fairfax, third problem it began raining, cold, cold rain and I was cold while it was still dry. By the time I hit the decent into Fairfax it was pitch black, I was soaked thoroughly, and my blinky was not doing much to illuminate the way as I railed down the winding road to town, waiting for cars to approach so I could latch onto them like a remora on a shark and use their light to guide me. I was completely spent at the bottom of the hill but I couldn't get out of the big ring, my hands had stopped working. Initially as I set out on this endeavor I thought that if Pete and Mo weren't home I would simply ride the hour and twenty minutes back to San Francisco, in the state I was in there was no way that was happening. I shambled into their house and stood shivering in the hallway trying to raise one of them on the cell. I got Mo, after an extra small amount of small talk she told me she had just pulled up in front of the house...maybe there is a God, a god who smiles upon me... then again that would be the same god who allows Genocide and all sorts of other bad, bad things to occur, so maybe there isn't a god, or if there is he simply has no nuts whatsoever.
After a hot shower, the loan of some sweats, and a feast comprised of two varieties of Kettle Chips, a strawberry milk shake, a veggie cheeseburger, fries, and several Marin IPAs I was back amongst the living. I would live to make stupid choices and nearly die another day.