A Cast of Characters

I posted about an almost idyllic ride where I can apply a prayer principle to the monotony of riding laps in a local park. I took that ride at 6 AM on a weekday, but today I was riding at 8 AM on a Saturday. Today’s bike ride had no Zen, no prayer, no peace, but it had a lot of character.

Character #1 the softball teams: This park has 2 fields, but there were two games going on (complete with parents and siblings) and various coaching sessions. How could I tell if a miss-hit or thrown ball would bean me?

Character #2 the bystanders: This includes the coaches backing into the path, the parents moving about, and the children dashing to and fro. I merely slowed down, kept it friendly and, we all made adjustments for each other except for…

Character #3 the lady on the phone: She stood in the middle of the path and I was never sure where she might bob or weave. I don't know for a fact if she has a bigger house than I do, but it's possibe that she really does own more of the bikepath than I do.

Character #4 the dog walkers: They were the least tricky to maneuver around. They usually responded to a friendly, “good morning” and moved onto the grass. There was on dachshund off leash, but he kept it together when I passed and was leashed when I saw him later.

Character #5 the jogger with an MP3 player: This was the hardest. When riding a bike and approaching someone from behind, I have observed a certain kind of etiquette. On the bike paths around here (the ones that go along the river, along old railroad beds and connect here to Wisconsin) bikers announce themselves by saying, “On your left.” When one hears this, one should move to the right and everyone’s happy. I announced myself thusly and she just kept groovin’ to her tunes. I repeated myself with a little more volume, but she still didn’t hear me. Finally I said, “Excuse me… EXCUSE ME!” At the time, I was on the lap with the hill that I enjoy coasting down while I gain momentum for the turn and the straight where I actually shift into a gear I don’t usually get to. As you might imagine, my momentum was broken up when I swerved off the path and into the grass with my brakes squealing. She startled and jumped as I re-gained my place on the path.

I think I need a bicycle bell.