75 Steps, 10 Times

While riding today, I encountered a young man (skateboard over his shoulder) running up the steepest flight of steps in our area. I did a blog on them once (or twice). Take a look below if you are new to this cycling blog.

He said he tries to run the steps 10 times a week (750 individual steps!!). I told him I'd been wheezing up and down them 10 times in 40 years and we shared a laugh. Here's the view looking down the ramp which connects the steps to the street. And yes, it is steep! Steeper than it looks.

Anyway, after I rode off, I encountered a sorry specimen of GM engineering, an Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo, built in the Buick "Craft Center" from 1987-92, along with the Buick Riviera and Reatta. At that time my employer had an information-sharing contract with General Motors, and I was traveling frequently up to Romulus, Warren, Flint, and other towns.I wanted to love these cars, but even then there was something about them that said orphan.

You can see it in the car's face and stance - it's battered, bruised, befuddled. Trim falling off, window tint peeling, broken lenses, etc.

A sad end came a few years later when Oldsmobile was killed off by an ailing General Motors. At that time it was the oldest surviving American company. RIP Ransom E Olds.

Riding on, I discovered that the street crew has torn up this intersection for perhaps the 3-4th time. You can see the previous scars under the metal plates, which mean they will be in there again tomorrow.

I rode until finally I regretted the fact that I didn't bring my sunglasses. So I turned around and headed for home.

 At high speed!