The Path Less Travelled

I ride my bike as much as I can. It's the only time I feel absolutely free.

I could ride for a long, long time; but the path soon comes to an end. I used to hightail it to work along the , but I didn't like it. Too many stop signs and stuttering cars.

I also disliked the crowds of multi-taskers. There were the walkers to BART. They never seemed to pay attention except forward headlong to catch their electrical train. There are many other walkers and hip hoppers, smokers and tokers.

Once in a while I pause and say to myself, "This is the bike path, and there is a pedestrian path over there." Somehow the pedestrian path became persona non grata. It looks totally neglected.

I did enjoy the friendly jogger who stops and chats with many. He often runs with no shirt and never fails to give a friendly wave. Even though we pass at different velocities, I am sure he could vouch for my presence on the path in case of a  criminal investigation.

I chose a different path. I now ride along San Pablo Avenue, sometimes on the wide sidewalks, other times on the shoulder, and even right down the middle of one of the lanes. I like it. The street is wide. Parked cars squeeze you a little, but not really. I take the path of least resistance, often taking advantage of little right turns and crossing streets as a pedestrian.

Most of the time it is quite breezy. Early in the morning is best, no traffic. Even in the afternoon there is little walking traffic on the sidewalks, and the road itself is okay.

I take my time in the afternoon. There is great amusement to be had when serious racing bikes with their spandex advertisements go whisking by. I wish them well on their speedy arrival to their next appointed rounds.

As for me, it's all in the doing, the elongated rides with slow serpentine routes. I have to take special care on some intersections. They can be very tough on a little bike, left hand turn lanes with a straight through option. Do I line up high on the lane or to the right side with a check of right hand turners? And the road conditions are very bad so I have to stand at times on the pedals and navigate through the nooks and crannies.

For the most part vehicles are very respective of your space, no close calls. Sometimes they overdo it. I do not try to block a whole lane but stay to the right and give cars lots of room to go by, but some people are just too nervous with a bike. They seem to fear the bike out of control. I always feel like I'm in control, just like I'm in control of my freedome on two wheels. At least I fool myself so.