Happy New Year

We woke up this morning and put one of the morning talk/news shows on the TV. The reporter was standing in Times Square and the snow and sleet was flying and it looked absolutely frigid. Susan and I opened our slider to the balcony and, after watching the sun come up, took our coffee and tea out to our chairs and sat and simply luxuriated in the warmth of the morning sun and its reflection on the ocean. I cannot remember a more auspicious start to new year's eve. Breakfast out of the way I headed out for another ride on A1A, the coastal route in Southern Florida. It is the height of tourist season and so this two-lane highway has been crowded with heavy traffic the last couple of times I've been out but the road also has real bike lanes on most of it so it is bearable. However, for some reason, maybe because it was cloudy and overcast when I started, the highway traffic was light this morning. I don't think that I have ever in my life been on a bike on New Year's eve - too cold, too snowy where I come from - and so I find myself heading for Palm Beach in 70 degree weather (the sun soon came out and it was 82 when I finished) and pinching myself all the way - this can't be real. A few days ago I also hit the 5,000 mile mark for this year. To be honest, my original goal was 10,000 miles but a motorcycle in Ohio forced a couple of revisions. Actually I'm really pretty pleased with the 5K - I have done that only once before and for awhile this year I thought that even that would be out of reach. More to the point I think is that I had a great ride today - about 50 miles and felt like doing more when I finished. I might not have predicted that a few months ago. Much as the accident in June consumed time and energy and attention it was not the real point. I had the adventure of my life with XC09 even if it was shortened a bit. I rode with some really great cyclists and, probably not entirely by coincidence, some really great people. We saw deserts, mountains, the "amber waves of grain", the backroads and small towns of America - and I wouldn't trade that for anything. And on that note I wish all (or both of you) who may read this a very happy and prosperous 2010.