Portland Bike Summer has begun. I will admit that it is tough to look at all the fun listings and shake my middle-aged fist at the reality of having job/kid/home in the hinterlands. Though of course it's also nice to have a job that isn't terrible, a kid that is awesome, and a house with an affordable mortgage.
REGARDLESS: I saw that near my house on Tuesdays there is a "hill killerz lunch hillz" ride - ride from the bottom to the top of SE 52nd Ave. five times in a half hour. Seems like my kind of ridiculous, I thought, even as someone who doesn't particularly love hillz. But doing ridiculous thingz together with other nerdz? And using lots of Zs to pluralize nouns? Sign me up!
I bike the ten minutes from my house to the bottom of the hill and will my cranky gears into their lowest granny settings, and off I go. I get there and it's a very positive scene. Bells are rung, thumbs-ups exchanged. People cool off in the shade at the top of the hill. There's lycra, athleisure, me in the same schlubby work tee and shorts combo I wore yesterday. No one is judging anyone. Within 20 minutes I've done my requisite five rounds and I head off into a perfect Clackamas afternoon.
Gluten-free treats update: Today my dear wife randomly brought home gluten-free tiramisu from the coffeeshop near her downtown job. I would never have thought to buy this or consume this, but I have to admit it was a good idea.
