I had an appointment to get the car's oil changed at 10 this morning. After that I was supposed to have another appointment across town but last night it got cancelled. I asked Hubby Tony if he wanted to tag along with me. He agreed.
We talked about what we could do while we waited for the car. Maybe we could take a walk in a nearby park? Or bring the bikes on the carrier and ride around the area by the garage? On a nice day both would be great options, but my weather app said the temperature would be in the mid-80s, with humidity that made it feel even hotter than that. Add an additional 'being in the sun' factor and nothing sounded appealing. I was ready to throw in the towel on the whole adventure.
But while I was brushing my teeth this morning I had an inspiration. Ten minutes to the south of the garage is a greenway that runs along the Meramec River. It's flat and has lots of shade. Organizing things so that we could ride there would be a pain, but maybe worth it. I asked Tony, who said it was definitely worth it. We began putting out plan into action.
I made lunches to take with us, then changed into comfortable bicycling clothes. Tony changed his clothes then went downstairs to put the bikes on the car carrier. I said goodbye to Jackson the cat and followed Tony down.
Once the bikes were strapped on the carrier I made sure everything I needed for the adventure was in Tony's car. We both got in our respective cars and drove to the trailhead, where we locked the bikes to a rack. Tony followed me to the garage. I dropped the car off, then I got in his car and we backtracked to the trailhead.
We had a wonderful ride on the flat, shady trail. There were very few other people on it, but we had a couple of nice conversations with fellow cyclists and actually saw a couple we knew from church who were walking. The car took a little over an hour to be done. After I received a call from the garage Tony and I rode back to the trailhead. We repeated the whole convoluted process in reverse, then headed home.
Five years ago today: Skirting
You left your bikes at the rack? At a time when all the bikes stores' inventory's are down to zero? Well, I guess it's a good thing bikes don't have catalytic converters on them.
ReplyDeleteI read "skirting". It wasn't what I thought it was going to be.
The bikes were locked up, of course.
DeleteAnd on a side note, our neighbor left her car overnight on the dealer's lot in Kirkwood. Someone came onto the lot and stole a couple of catalytic converters, including hers. The dealership denied responsibility.
My SILs parents (South County) had their catalytic converter stolen from their driveway a week ago. The neighbor even saw the white pickup stop in front of their driveway and wondered what was going on. By the time she got her husband to take a look, they were gone.
DeleteMike that's beyond horrible!
DeleteCatalytic thefts are extreme in Oregon too right now. Glad your bikes weren't stolen off the rack.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the possibility of foul play. Wonder what that says about me?
DeleteGlad the day went so well!
ReplyDeleteTheft of the bikes would never have occurred to me. I wonder if I would have locked them? Probably yes, if I were a current biker.
ReplyDeleteSadly, everything has to be locked down these days.
DeleteI locked a bike once. They stole the lock and left the bike.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That must have been quite a lock!
DeleteIsn't that the key to waiting, finding something to do in the meantime - take a walk, read, plan, journal, call a friend, have a picnic, explore a new area. There really is no end.
ReplyDeleteMona, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I agree that there are an infinite number of ways to spend free time.
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