#3: Ride My Bike

And by bike I mean this beast (see below), or as I like to call her "RoadMaster" (you'd be able to read that on the frame if my sweet helmet wasn't blocking the view). Me and Roadmaster have been together for a while now, I'd say since, oh...1992? 1993? My parents were big proponents of teaching me the value of a dollar by having me save up my own money to buy things that I wanted, and Roadmaster was one of those things. I scrimped and I saved (Christmas and birthday money from relatives, of course) and bought her all by myself. A proud moment for little Danne, let me tell you...

While Roadmaster got plenty of use in my middle school days, she's spent most of her time since then never seeing the light of day, being schlepped around from garage to garage every time I've moved. Summer bucket list to the rescue! Last Friday I decided to take her out for a spin to take care of #3 on my list: Ride My Bike. Since city biking makes me a little (a lot) nervous, I wasn't really sure where to go until the universe pointed me here: The Watertown Greenway.

Seriously, Watertown, you never cease to amaze me. First the Deluxe Town Diner, then Underground Studios, and now this? The internet didn't offer me too much information when I tried to get the greenway scoop, but from what I can tell, 1.) It's new, 2.) It connects to the Charles and Fresh Pond, and 3.) It's on the old MBTA tracks that used to belong to the A branch (yes, it's true! ever wonder why there isn't an A line when there's a B, C, D, and an E? There was until 1969 and it went all the way to Watertown yard!).

Since a portion of the greenway picks up a few blocks from my house, I decided to dust Roadmater off, pump her (tires) up, and take her out on the town–Watertown that is. I wish I could say that we had a glorious reunion ride together, but it wasn't quite as majestic as I had envisioned. While it was fun overall, the air that was rapidly escaping from my 10-year-old tires, and the 2% incline on the trail really made for a lot more physical exertion than I was bargaining for. After I trudged home on flat bike tires, and collapsed with exhaustion onto my couch, I decided that maybe Roadmaster had made her final journey. Although it'll be sad to see her go, I think it's time. Alas, every good thing comes to an end, just like summer I suppose...

Next Up: My summer bucket list conclusion and the introduction of my brand new lent for September. Stay tuned and enjoy these last few beautiful weeks of summer weather.