It occurred to me yesterday while driving school carpool to take the day off. It was my birthday, the first frost of the fall, and the first sunny day in two weeks. Robbie wanted me out of the house so she could prepare my birthday surprise dinner, and I really didn’t have any online work stuff that had to be done. So I loaded the Beta on the trailer, strapped my daughter’s recumbent to it, and was on the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail in Faribault by noon. I was in heaven.
I can’t believe how much I enjoy riding this recumbent – a Rans Rocket. I figured out the various adjustments to make it comfy and I just sit back like a Lazy-Boy recliner. I’m surprised at how much more I notice the sky and the clouds and trees. The viewing angle just lends itself to it.
The fall colors couldn’t have been much better. It’s way before the peak, when the green leaves and grass contrast with the emerging colors. The wildflowers are still plenteous and their colors seem to take on a different contrast with the browning grasses.
I rode a leisurely pace to Waterville, stopping for a lunch break in a little meadow marked by a sign “Eggers Prairie” just east of Sakatah Lake State Park. The setting was as idyllic as the scenes from the movie Herman USA which we saw on Sunday. I decided to book it on the way back and did the 15 miles in an hour.
I then headed to the trials grounds for the first time this year and practiced for 90 minutes. I was pretty rusty but it surprised me how much enjoyed it. I concentrated a little more than usual and spent more time in between rides to take in the scenery. And I rediscovered how much better I ride when I focus my eyes way ahead in the section, even when I don’t really need to.
The boys came down for a birthday dinner. Robbie made Chicken Rose, the meal that I’ve always said made me fall in love with her, and topped it off with a homemade carrot cake. And she totally surprised me with tickets to an upcoming Bob Dylan concert.
I’m a lucky man.