Bikes

My wife & I bought matching mountain bikes when we were dating. Mine is the red one and hers is blue. Our 24th wedding anniversary is this weekend. That means that these bikes are older than our kids, pre-date our marriage, and come from last century. I bought a hard tail Specialized Stump Jumper on purpose. The bikes with rear suspension were just coming out and I figured a bike with less moving parts would last longer. I was right about that. 

Both bikes are exactly the same size frame. My bike is the red one; my wife's is the blue. My wife and I are pretty much exactly the same height, though she is all legs and I'm all torso, which makes her look taller. We joke that she's part elf with the oversize ears, and I'm a sort of Hobbit with the temperament of a dispossessed dwarf. Where is my axe anyway. 

I rode this morning from my house up through the Eagle Rock Reserve. As I got to the viewpoint overlooking the city, the sun was doing a sort of reverse sunrise into the cloud cover. The entire lowland area stretching out from Montclair toward the meadowlands was glowing orange with the Manhattan skyline cut out against the horizon. They had recently lined the road and parking area with new American flags in memory of 9/11 and each of them was translucent and backlit and glowing. I could have taken a picture but I don't think even a new iPhone would do it justice. 

I ride this loop through Eagle Rock Reservation. There a couple technical bits that are tough for me and the trail is pretty torn up from the recent storm - I think her name was Ida. The game is to try to do everything without putting my foot down. The riding here is, overall, more technical and for me, not quite as enjoyable. I see alot of a guys on bikes with the oversized tires - 27' and super knobby. I think that's because of all the roots and rocks - makes it more manageable. 

But I got my little old humble prehistoric Stumpjumper - and that's okay. I'm not out prove anything to anyone - just trying to get out in nature, see some trees, crank some hills, say hi to a deer or two. 

This morning I rode down to meet a friend for coffee, and then rode home through Montclair - the High school was back in session, so that was cool to see. 

​[too be continued]