09.25.06
Biking to work
I mentioned in my previous post that I’d biked around the rim of the Grand Canyon. Well, little did I know that this would be my very last ride on that bike. California didn’t treat it very well — those omnipresent bike thieves got it my very first week here.
In retrospect, I suppose it was my own stupidity. I left the bike out on my porch, unlocked. But this porch was completely enclosed by a four-foot wall! And the apartment complex was GATED! I assumed it was safe. But no such luck. This was especially cruel timing, since I’d hauled the bike 2300+ miles and just got an apartment right near a bike path.
I didn’t get a new bike right away, but once Cisco created a traffic jam that made my 10-minute commute take an hour, I knew I needed to get one. After two years of Beer Bike at Rice, I knew I wanted a road bike. But how hard core would I go?
I wound up with a blue Schwin Fastback 27-speed bike. Don’t worry, I didn’t pay that much for it! =) I decided not to get clipping shoes right away — I don’t want anything that’ll make me even think of not biking to work in the morning. I got hybrid clip/platform pedals though, so I can still use clips eventually if I like. I really like the new bike. It’s a super-smooth ride, and I can get going pretty fast on the straightaways. The Stevens Creek Trail is truly spectacular. I can hop onto it a few hundred feet from my apartment and it takes me nearly as close to Google. I timed myself one day and got 15:22 on the way out, 15:28 on the way back. Apparently I’m consistent! It’s not that much of a workout every day, but it can’t hurt.
In other news, there was an unexpected U-haul rental last Sunday, and as a result I now have two couches in my living room!