A Bicycle of Burden

I went riding after lunch today. Slightly full stomach, slightly windy day, slightly sleepy rider. All in sync, don't you think?

After a few moments, I was jockeying my way along through the very heavy traffic.

I spotted a huge obstacle coming in my path. I mean completely blocking MY bike path. You can see him in the photo below - a recycling person complete with bike, shopping cart, a half-dozen enormous bags filled with cans - all heading my way. I was able to slow and luckily he spotted me and dodged off into the side street.

Yesterday we saw a similar arrangement. A shopping cart piled with recycling to twice the size of this load, being pulled as a trailer behind a bike laden front and rear.

So I decided to get a load of my own to frighten oncoming traffic (use my bike for a practical purpose) and so I pulled into my favorite book store - Point Loma Books. After a friendly chat with my pal Denton, I headed out with a nice cumbersome package - a book about Byzantine Wall Paintings - hanging from my handlebars.

If I am really going to get serious about riding my bike, I guess I ought to have a rack or some way to carry things without fear that they will end up in the spokes - because even Jesus (in the book) looked slightly concerned.

I already have the racks from back long ago - I guess I should go bolt them on (you have to imagine the bike in the middle) rather than having them on the rug in the TV room.

MUSTANG CONVERTIBLES

I decided this regular blog feature needs its own heading while I decide how to make it a blog of its own. In the meantime, I saw this silver convertible, and a few moments later saw another, very similar car with the top up. Because many of the cars I've seen in the past week have Arizona plates, I'm beginning to think the car rental agencies have moved their convertible fleets out west to California for the summer. No one in their right mind wants a convertible when it's 106° F in Phoenix.

I rode a couple more miles, then out of the corner of my eye I saw this gal getting into a car with a mechanic from the Catalina Garage (hidden behind the uniform truck). It's a very nice mid-Sixties red with black convertible. I got off a quick photo from across the street, without them noticing me.

I rounded the corner and 100 feet ahead was YET ANOTHER Sixties blue with white top convertible. This is getting to be too much to believe! So I rode home for a cold drink of water.