Jhciacb

Cancel The Woke…

There’s no such thing as Woke Culture or Wokeism. The term is a construct, created to spin the inevitable arc of moral progress over time. I’m embarrassed that it gets thrown around as often it does, and by intelligent people who should know better. But agenda is an intoxicant that can put alcohol to shame, especially in the veins of the media and politicians.

An archaeologist sees the head of a nail sticking out from the dried earth. He digs a little deeper and exposes the stem of the nail. Further still, and he realizes the nail is held fast to a board. Brushing away more dirt, he exposes the length of the board — which is connected, by other nails, to a series of other boards. 

As the dirt is cleared away, a form takes shape. What appears to be a wooden wall is exposed — until the archaeologist finds a curve in it. Over time, and with the help of others, the large section of wood is exposed to be the hull of an old ship. Just hours earlier all that could be seen — all that was known was just the head of a nail.

Exposure, layer by layer and over time, tells a more complete story. It’s not that the ship suddenly grew under the nail — it was there all the time, waiting to be discovered. The archaeologists, and subsequently the people who learned about the ship, weren’t woke, they were educated about what was already there. 

Honestly, I’m glad for the increasing exposure to the moral inequalities that plague society — racism, gender bias, and social and economic disparity, etc. To be clear, I cringe when bad things happen to good people. I don’t want to see property destroyed. I don’t want to see people get threatened, injured, or killed. But the more that hatred and ignorant bias step into the light and the louder they announce themselves, the better off we’re all going to be in the long-term. I truly believe that. 

More recently, it’s as though the ship itself is clearing the dirt away. Let their voices be heard. Let their ignorance be observed. Let the fruit of their hateful minds be on display for everyone to see. Let’s clear the streets and give ‘em all microphones. Allow them to gather in large numbers and speak without interruption. 

Morality, like mathematics, isn’t something man invented. It’s been there since time began, woven into the fiber of the universe — to be discovered and used for the advancement of the species. The moral progress of man is a treasure. Social equality, over time, is taking shape. It won’t be fully exposed in my lifetime or yours, but every day we need to keep wiping the dirt off of it and allow it to be exposed further — and we need to keep others from burying it once again.  

Woke isn’t the act of creating something new. Woke is exposing something that’s been there all along. 

This is what I think about when I ride… Jhciacb 

This week by the numbers…

Bikes Ridden: 7

Miles: 195

Climbing: 7,900’

Mph Avg: 15.3

Calories: 11,100

Seat Time: 12 hours 44 minutes

Whether you ride a bike or not, thank you for taking the time to ride along with me today. If you haven’t already, please scroll up and subscribe. If you like what you read, give it a like and a share. If not, just keep scrollin’. Oh, and there’s this from Jake Bugg. Enjoy…!

Jhciacb

About The View…

It was a spectacular week of riding in San Diego’s North County. Back-to-back pacific storms passed through last week in typical spring fashion. The broken skies that came with these storms highlighted the beauty of the area in ways a solo blue sky just can’t. I rode six out of seven days last week, with rain making just one day too prohibitive to ride.

I was reminded last week of a travel tenet that’s proven true my entire life. As I age, and as I look for more meaning from simpler things, I’m coming to appreciate that this rule of travel is just as relevant even when I’m not far from home…

The best and most enduring moments, when I reflect back on any of my travels, have been just taking in the view.

As I rolled past acres of freshly turned soil waiting for tomatoes to be planted, as I saw snow covered mountains with citrus orchards and avocado groves in the foreground, and as I saw skies of blue highlighted by clouds of black, gray, and white, I thought about my late client and friend, Otis. 

Otis was as well traveled a man as I’ve known. He had lived in South America early in his life, set foot on every continent except Antarctica, and could discuss the history, politics, and geography of any region in the world, with locals and travelers alike. Sometime around 2012, Otis took a 3-week cruise through some of Pacific islands. When he returned, I asked him what he enjoyed most about his trip. His response took me by surprise…

“The fact that I never left the ship…”

Wait, what…? A three-week Polynesian cruise and he never left the boat…?

Otis explained that he spent his sea days reading, occasionally looking up at horizon and taking in the magnificence of the ocean. When his ship was in port, rather go ashore and do touristy excursions — that were generally crowded and exhausting, he stayed behind to sit on the veranda of his cabin, still reading and intermittently looking up at the magnificence of the surrounding landscape — and all the people scurrying on the streets below.

“Each port of call was like a different television channel…“ he told me, “or like a painting of a different landscape…“

Hearing Otis describe his enjoyment of just sitting, taking in the view, and being entertained by the activities below, got me thinking about my own travels. 

Just a few weeks after that conversation with Otis, I found myself on a ferry from Athens to the island of Mykonos — a 5 hour journey, stopping at a half-dozen lesser islands along the way. That remains one of the best days of my life, though I never left the boat. I just sat on the deck of the ferry, all day long, with my feet dangling over the side, taking in the view. The beauty of the Aegean sea and the aesthetics of the many islands we passed along the way were all the entertainment I would need. I was in Greece for three weeks, visited many of the more popular archaeological sites, and a handful of the lesser ones, yet what I remember most are the views from the ferry that day.

I’m not a globetrotter, but I’ve had the privilege of visiting all 50 states, some very pretty places, and a few foreign lands. When I think about any of my travels though, the moments which stand out to me most aren’t the things I’ve done — the buildings I’ve visited (ancient or modern), the foods I’ve eaten, or the even people I’ve met along the way. 

When I think back on any of my travels, my fondest and most enduring memories are the many views I’ve been blessed to enjoy. Views of lakes, hills, rivers, deserts, coast lines, and so-on, remain as memory shots, etched in my mind forever. Pick a vehicle — train, jet, ship, car, or bus, and I’ll be perfectly content just staring out the window. There may be something waiting for me at the destination, but I’ll remember the view the most.

Of course travel is all about experiencing different cultures, languages, foods and entertainment, and I’ve certainly done all of that. However, the view from the hotel room, from the restaurant patio, or from the ridge overlooking the canyon or the horizon, is what has captivated me most, often stopping me in my tracks and sending chills down my spine.

And from this rolling perch I get to ride each day, I get exercise, mental clarity, and even burn some calories. The best part though — the best part of riding a bike is the view. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And my own front porch…? That view ain’t too bad either.

This is what I think about when I ride… Jhciacb

This week by the numbers…

Bikes Ridden: 6

Miles: 161

Climbing: 7’300’

Mph Avg: 15.0

Calories: 9,200

Seat Time: 10 hours 45 minutes

Whether you ride a bike or not, thank you for taking the time to ride along with me today. If you haven’t already, please scroll up and subscribe. If you like what you read, give it a like and a share. If not, just keep scrollin’. Oh, and there’s this from Dave Graney ‘n’ The Coral Snakes. Enjoy…!

Jhciacb

Flip The Bird…

The day couldn’t have started any better. Just after 5am my friend Tim, who lives in Steamboat Springs, texted me that he was in Oceanside — about 20 minutes away. He and his neighbor had driven through the night from Colorado to deliver a car to his neighbor’s son at Camp Pendleton. Since he was this close, Tim wanted to stop by Fallbrook and poach some lemons before he headed home. Poaching lemons is a tradition on our annual bike ride each spring. Due to the COVID-19 situation, we had to pass on the ride this year, so I was delighted to hear from him. I figured if we could poach lemons from a safe distance while wearing masks, I’m in.

Last year our victim was a cheap motel on Old Highway 395 just south of Fallbrook. There are six decorative lemon trees in the motel parking lot that are loaded this time of year. I believe we hauled about 40 pounds last year. We decided to meet there and continue the tradition, even if no bikes were involved. After an air high-five and some salutations from a 6-foot distance, he tossed me a bag and we began stealing lemons while in plain sight.

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I don’t think we were together for more than 15 minutes when we said goodbye and he and his neighbor headed back to Colorado. I couldn’t have been more stoked to get on my bike later in the morning. My intention was to ride by the the same lemon trees and photograph my bike in front of them. There was a strong onshore wind though, so I changed my route and bypassed the motel.

Riding west on Highway 76, a four-lane thoroughfare with a 55 mph speed limit, I was about to turn north onto Gird Road when I felt something tugging on the riding bag I wear on my back.

Wait, what…?

Something was tugging on my shoulder bag while I was traveling at 18 mph or so. I had looked over my shoulder moments earlier and seen no other cyclist in the lane behind me. What transpired next happened in less than 4-5 seconds…

With my left hand on the handlebars, I reached behind me to feel what was tugging on my back. I was shocked when I felt the wing of a bird, possibly a crow. Caught off-guard and a bit scared, I tried to brush the bird off of me when I lost control and came off my bike. My bike ended up in the middle of the righthand automobile lane, and I was beside it, just outside the bike lane.

In what probably took just a few seconds, I grabbed my bike with my left arm and flung it over my body into the bike lane. I rolled over quickly into the bike lane, looking uproad to see no oncoming traffic. I go to my feet and took inventory of the situation. I skinned my right knee, my right elbow, and felt a little pain with my right ankle. Shaking and a little bit flustered, I took a gulp of water and quietly assured myself that I was okay. This could have been so much worse, I thought.

I had roughly 10 miles remaining to return home. I rode at a standard pace, and felt little of my ankle or knee as I pedaled. I was delighted that I felt so good and was already planning tomorrow’s route while riding home.

I had a single session from 1:30 to 2:30 in my fitness studio and got through that okay. I was hobbling a little bit more by the end of the session, but still thinking I dodged a bullet. Shortly after my client left, my ankle and knee began swelling and the pain was increasing. I realized then that it was adrenaline that got me through the last 10 miles of my ride as well as my appointment. That adrenaline was starting to wear off.

Over the next hour the pain became unbearable and my ankle and knee continued to swell. By 4pm I wasn’t able to put any stress on the leg at all, and was hopping through the house on my left leg.

With a little elevation and some acetaminophen, the pain diminished some and the swelling dropped a bit. I gave a cursory test that I would apply to any injured athlete, and deemed my ankle sprained, but with nothing broken and ligaments intact.

Now it’s just a waiting game. I know I won’t be on a bike for at least a few days, and won’t even be able to walk my dog for a day or two. As I write this, roughly 20 hours have passed by since the accident. I’ll follow the course of active surveillance for the next 24 hours, testing range of motion often, applying heat, and acetaminophen for pain.

Because I felt so good even after the accident, I gave my ride an A+ in my workout journal. The only note I made in the journal was as follows…

“Attacked by bird. Came off bike. Bird and I never made eye contact…”

I’ve only missed four days of riding since January 1st, and haven’t missed two consecutive days since June of 2019.
I’m guessing 3 to 5 days on this, but we’ll see.

Yesterday morning I got to poach lemons with my friend Tim, and see him for the first time since our annual ride last year. A few hours later, a bird, probably looking for my ravioli, initiated my first accident in nearly three years. Lying in the automobile lane of Highway 76, and looking east to see no cars coming toward me, might have been the most glorious moment of my life. I’m just gonna take it all in for a few days, but I have a feeling I’ll be back out there again soon.

Lastly, for those who think this was another sign I should call it quits, I’ve been dealing with depression, idiopathic sadness, and suicidal thoughts since I was a child. Riding is good medicine for me. I have no intention of giving this up.

This is what I think about when I ride… Jhciacb

Yesterday’s Ride…

Bike: Cortez The Killer
27 miles
1,200’ climbing
15.5 mph avg
1,500 calories
Yesterday’s earworm: Will in’, by Little Feat