A Misty Morning Ride

Some of the best bike rides are the ones that aren't about exercise or even getting from point A to point B. The rides that we remember and appreciate tend to be slow and improvised, allowing us to be more attentive to the senses than usual. SIghts and sounds and smells that reside in the halls of the memory for a good long time. 

This morning provided that kind of ride. On a cool and damp morning as I rode through the heavy mist, it felt good to go slow, and go wherever I wanted, to be fully present for whatever I was going to encounter.

Anyplace I went seemed to offer up something to enjoy. Something you couldn't capture from inside a car. The smell of wet leaves as I rolled over them, the heavy reverberations  of a passing freight train, the sounds of kids and grownups laughing while on walks together, the smell of coffee and fresh baked bread as I rolled past a bakery shop, condensation collecting on my face and glasses.

I’m sure that eventually I’ll grow weary of the constant gray days that are now here, and so much a part of living in the Willamette Valley.  I'll yearn for the return of those sunny warm days that spoil us in late summer and early fall.  Right now this change is a welcome sign, beckoning me to throw on a layer or two, get out on the bike and enjoy what Fall has to offer.