First *real* ride in New England

My bike got put back together just fine (most of the work done by me thank you very much!), and on Wednesday I took it out for a ride. This was the first ride in a long time, and my first real training ride ever in Massachusetts. Here are some sights and thoughts from my ride:

I had 2 major squirrel encounters. #1) I was riding on one of those rail-to-trail deals that had a fair number of road crossings. At one of these intersections I had to stop to let some cars go by. While I was waiting I heard a rustle, rustle, rustle getting closer and closer. Then I heard THWACK! as a squirrel fell out of a tree about one foot from my right shoulder and scrambled off. #2) About 20 minutes later, a little farther up the road I saw an albino squirrel, complete with red eyes and everything. It ran away before I could take a picture, so it's not a really interesting story, but don't criticize unless you have a better story about an albino squirrel.

Why is it that colors are so much brighter in the afternoon when you have sunglasses on? Right now the leaves are all these bright reds and oranges and greens. On top of that, the sun was starting to set and there were some bright blues and pinks in the sky. Right before this picture was taken a wedge of Canada geese flew south overhead. I took out my new handy-dandy camera phone (the day after I bought it I saw that Marie Claire magazine called it "So 2005") and snapped a picture. The picture just makes it look old and faded and all the bright colors I was seeing in my sunglasses just look kind of pukey here.

I saw a whole pack of shirtless, skeletal high school cross country runners bounding by. I was so jealous. For them it looks so effortless and they seem to fly, barely touching the ground. My running style is less like a gazelle and more like a water buffalo with low self esteem. Also, today I rode along the Charles River, where everyone from Cambridge and Boston seem to do their long runs on Sundays. It was so inspiring to see those people prancing along the path at lightning speeds, I wanted to ditch my bike where I was and run away with them. I wish I could figure out how to run like the wind. But then, every time I put on my running shoes and stomp away in my "sullen bovine" stance I feel like semi truck in a NASCAR race.

Be careful with Polar bike computer sensors (the part that goes on the spoke). You might think that the reason the computer isn't working is that you need to move the sensor. Then you might decide that perhaps it is moving around on the spoke and the screw needs to be tightened. (Here is where you must be careful) If you tighten that screw super-tight you might crack the plastic. When you realize that you've put the sensor on one of the spokes leaning away from the sensor you'll feel like an idiot, but not as much of an idiot as you'll feel like 10 seconds later when you take it back off and a piece of the sensor falls on the ground. Black is not an easy color to find in little tufts of grass at the side of the path, especially when it's a 1/8th of an inch piece of plastic. You will then realize that your sensor, and hence your bike computer are useless. You will ride away cursing the bike shop and writing the compelling speech you will make the next day to the manager which will result in a new, free bike computer. You will be riding along at 80 miles per hour, fueled by anger when you will tuck your head down to catch your breath and notice that the quick release is not on the side it is usually on. Then you might finally realize why the sensor wasn't working. You will feel like a complete idiot as you put together that when you took the bike out of the car, you put the front wheel on backwards; and had you NOT done that you wouldn't have broken your computer, which now you are going to have to replace out of your own pocket. And you would be right in feeling like a fool.

Sorry I don't have much else to talk about. I've been a bit uninspired recently as job searching has taken up much of my mental energy.

On a side note: does anyone know any blogger cyclists or triathletes in the Boston area? I really need a training partner, or at least someone who knows where the common routs are. I can't seem to think of anything more than a few miles that doesn't take me on a highway. At the very least if I spy on a fellow blogger I might be able to find some cool places to go. Any suggestions?