Inauguration Day

You know I'm not politically inclined! This is not about Barack Obama, our 44th President as of this morning. This is not about how my eyes got a little misty as I listened to him swear his Oath of Office on the very same Bible that President Lincoln swore in on. This is not about the appropriateness of the first black President being sworn into office the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. No, this is not about that inauguration.

Today was David's inauguration to the world of Portland Bicycle Commuting! It has been accomplished, there is no turning back. Pretty soon we will all be bike-ready and joining the throngs of bicycling families in Portland. Just one more thing to make me love living here!

He emailed me this morning to tell me he made it alive, and this is what he had to say:

It was a long ride but I made it. I went from “no big deal” to “This is frustrating trying to see in the dark with headlights in my eyes” to “my ears are cold, and my body is hot!” Then I pulled over, and made clothing adjustments. I thought, “there needs to be a bike path off marine drive on this part.” Then I made it to the lower right bike path near Salty’s and Sextant, and it was nice. My body temp was good (sniffling ad spitting a lot, but felt good). At this point I was working hard and not going fast. It looks like a short bike trail from the road, but when you’re on it, it seems to take forever! Then I broke through to the other side (the river side) of Marine Drive. It was beautiful, bright and sunny! My attitude changed, I had a new hope, and I started hootin’ and hollerin’! I saw one other rider on this ride and when we crossed paths I shouted with excitement, “This is great! Good morning! Whooooh!” The rider chuckled, and shouted with me, “Yeaaaaah!”, while he gave me the “thumbs up”. It was invigorating to shout out, and it pumped me up to hear his response. I’m sure he was inspired as well. Then came the praise and worship. I wanted to cry as I peddled toward the sunrise on the Mt. Hood horizon, with the beautiful Columbia River on my left, reflecting this glorious sight. This was the BEST part of the ride! No cars in sight (‘cause the bike path dips down to water level), no people, no more darkness, and the generated warmth from my workout shielded me from the morning chill. I was thanking God and praising Him for the blessings he has given me. Then the wind picked up. This part of the ride is a long stretch (about 5 miles), and I still had another 2 miles to go, and I found myself saying, “Dude, how much longer? This is taking forever!” This was the true test. Could I keep a heart of thankfulness and praise during this really uncomfortable part of the ride? It was a challenge, but being thankful and continuing to pray helped the time to pass, and I eventually saw my exit. The wind grew stronger here, and I was climbing up hill, but I pressed on… and on. I was exhausted, but was able to break on through to the other side of Marine Dr. and cut through the airport and then cross the Cascade Station Bridge. All that was left was to back-track a little to get me to the office, and this was easy. The wind was at my back (figuratively, and literally), and I was breathing easy with a smile. When I got to the office, the guys thought I was crazy. They all still had their warm coats on, and hot coffees in hand, while I cleaned up, changed into some lighter clothes, and downed some clean cold water. Refreshing! I felt transformed and alive, and they didn’t get it. Well, all-in-all, I did great, but I need to keep doing this to build my endurance, and shorten my ride time. It took me an hour and a half, and I had anticipated an hour ride. I know I can do it in an hour. It’s only 13 miles! I just need to maintain an average of 13MPH through out the trip, and I’m there!

I'm so proud...and inspired! Aren't you? Have a great Inauguration Day, everyone!

*Photo courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuseeger/