It's Not Just a Bike, It's an Adventure

Even though it was Saturday, I had to work, more stuff to be done over at The Warehouse.
Seems things are going quite well over there, well enough that more space is needed and the only place to go is up.
Thus, a mezzanine level needs to be created and since I am in need of more cycling stuff, I volunteered.
The hard part was that it was a beautiful day today!
I mean gorgeous!
Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
I hope it doesn't rain.
So anyways, on the way home, I stopped by my cousin's place.
Seems a change in work location prompted him to purchase, you guessed it, a nice and shiny brand new bike!
I was so jealous cause his bike is red!
Well, I still got black and nasty.
I was there to drop some stuff off for him like my unused U lock, a rear blinky, and an old bike computer.
What stuck with me was how excited he was.
I mean for those of us who have been riding a while, for those of us who own multiple bikes, and for those of us who ride the streets frequently, getting a new bike is exciting, but it's not EXCITING!
If you know what I mean.
Since I've known my cousin, I don't ever recall him having a bike, though he must have had one for he knows how to ride one.
Then again, he probably was shocked to hear how much I ride for he probably never saw me on a bike either.
Well I told him to come on over to Kailua and ride with me.
Probably the only chance I'll have to crush his soul, he'll probably be passing me in no time.
Anyways, after leaving his place, I got to thinking about how I felt when I got back into cycling and got my new bike.
Oh yes! exciting it was!
Here was this alternate mode of transportation, self powered no less. Where I went was limited only by the juice in my legs.
Okay, when I first started, there was very little juice in my legs.
Three miles and I was pretty much toast.
Couldn't even walk up the stairs to the front door.
All three stairs.
I was not discouraged though.
I was challenged!
I was challenging my own body!
Of course there were the new things I saw and noticed, struggling along at a snails pace. The things I never took the time to notice when driving the car, even though I had passed that same place a hundred times.
It became a challenge and a sort of exploration.
Where would I go to next, and how fast could I get there while still having the strength to get back.
The bike came to symbolize adventure.
A simple trip to the store was no longer a simple trip to the store.
You never know what you will encounter out there, without inches of steel between yourself and the elements.
When it's just you and your bicycle out there, you are out there!
Alone.
Okay, you're not really alone, but you are as alone as you want to be.
If you know what I mean.
Getting that new bike, getting ready for your first ride, I mean, that's an adventure!
To tell you truth, in the miles I've racked up, the feeling has diminished.
Only slightly.
I still get that feeling of anticipation when I don the spandex and put on the shoes.
I know where I'm going for the most part, but I have no idea about what I might find or see.
It's just me and road baby and I don't when I'm coming back!
Okay not really.
Of course I'm coming back, I got Doritos, the couch, and Law & Order waiting for me back home.
Getting on the bike though, and going out for a ride, that's some adventure right there.
I hope that feeling never goes away.