Spring Is Here!

I have a bad habit of using my ride time to disconnect from humanity. No phone, no i-pod blaring "Firehouse" tunes, no way for anyone to reach me at all. Electronic distractions (other than my uber-computer, the SIGMA ROX 8.0) aren't something I want while riding, especially since much of my planning happens during those lonely outings. The past two weeks I have been especially happy with that choice. My "go-to" loop through Grandview and out through Upper Arlington has yielded dividends far beyond the health benefits of turning pedals.



Explosions of sun-dappled color radiate from the trees, and tulips bend to the sun exposing the fiery basins within their core. It's almost too much to take in all at once. The trees are sending wave after wave of tiny white flower petals into the air with every passing breeze, and the scent of Magnolias far outweigh the standard olfactory-crippling smell of smoking chamois butter.


With all this going on, how could you possibly feel any pain? What else could you even CONSIDER doing at that point? Just pedal and smile...pedal and smile. Recently painted homes along Tremont Avenue proudly proclaim that riding season is here.







No shaving of the 'taint, no talk of VO2 max...just get on and ride through your neighborhood..maybe meet someone you never had the chance to slow down enough to talk to from the car.


I love this pic! I didn't realize it until I returned home, but I managed to capture that little "pollen spreader" winging in for a drink to the left of the picture! It was GREAT to head out on the bike with the camera and get acquainted with me local flora.









Flag waving seems to be in the genes here in Grandview, and the flapping Stars and Stripes add a bit of color to an already blinding array of flowers that Crayola could never match. This home on First Avenue is always in full blaze when I ride by in the mornings.


Spring colors can be found just about anywhere from the saddle of the bike. These wicked Chucks were on the feet of a mulch-mangling kindergarten pal of my son when I rode to pick him up. Had I driven to get him I would never have seen these things, but on the bike you have the chance to catch a bit more of the life going on around you.


Spring is also the time to pay your dues. Luka and his crew of like-minded six year-olds roam the neighborhood, and are not afraid to shake-down anyone who may be holding out on them. "Hand over the Goldfish crackers and nobody gets hurt." Do as they say. Do these kids look like they are joking? When your a Jet, your a Jet all the way...

It ain't ALL pretty in the spring...