The First Day

The bike arrived, the bike arrived, the bike arrived.

Earlier today we got to REI at 3:30pm full of hope but with a healthy degree of trepidation, as we checked in with the bike repair attendant. “It’s here, but we haven’t unpacked it,” he said in a New York accent that told us he could really care less.

We frowned, hoping the bark/accent was worse than the bite.

“Okay, okay, I’ll try, maybe by 5:30, but no promises.”

Off to Applebee’s on foot for lunch, if the bike got finished we needed to be nourished.

After lunch and back at REI, we found the bike standing in front of the repair counter, shinny and assembled. Oh My God, now we had to get moving.

I got on the phone and made reservations at a Best Western Motel 11 miles away in New Providence, NJ that was on our route. Mike needed to shop for a few last minute items with the maintenance guy in tow. Despite the outlandish scope of our endeavor, the attendant had clearly gotten enthused. By now it was close to 6 pm and sundown was 7:15.

I rejoined Mike in time to hear the REI guy ask, “You guys sure you got all the stuff you need?” “How about a spoke wrench, how about extra chain links, how about…..”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said. “I read all about those in the Sierra Club Bike Manual, But do wo we really need them?”

“They don’t weigh much.”

Twenty five tiny items later, we checked out and then took the bikes out in front of the store for the obligatory departure photos. The sun was low in the sky, and rush hour was in full force as we left the parking lot.

We rode in silence through the leafy New Jersey boroughs of suburban New York. The streets we followed had predictable names like: Meadowlake, Pleasant Ave, Brooklake, Southern, River. The evening was softly warm and we pedaled effortlessly despite the heavy bikes. It felt so good just to get moving.

We’ve started, we’ve started, we’ve started.

To be continued.