Back on the horse that throwed me
by Ted JohnsonI read a lot of stories of what motivates people to commute, or simply to bike. A frequent theme is people saying how much the love being on a bike. I feel a little jealous. I don’t know if I really love biking as much as other people do.
My weekend ride. Sun City, here I come!
Among my motivations for cycling, health, the environment, and cost savings weigh heavily. The joy of cycling is a distant fourth place.
I checked out of the hospital on Saturday. (Hospital? What? Click here.) My left leg in a brace, I was directed not to operate a clutch. So I rented a car with automatic transmission to get me through the weekend. Since I can’t bend my left leg, I asked for the cheapest car with the biggest door. What I got was a Mercury Grand Marquis.
The horse
After two days of using that boat to get around, I realized that my fourth-place motivation is not so distant as I’d thought.
I can truly say, I really like riding a bike.
So much so that yesterday I decided to get back on the horse that throwed me: The A2B Metro. I decided that this e-bike would be my commuter wheelchair until I can bend my knee again.
After work, I hopped on the A2B, straight-legged, and started home.
When I’d gone half-a-mile, the battery died.
See, Ted, ya just missed a GOLDEN opportunity.
First thing ya shoulda done, when you drove off in that Merc, is paint “TAXI” on the side of it and earn a little extra dough takin’ the cute NAU coeds home from school!
But … ya left us hangin’! There ya are, a half mile away from “base” and you can’t bend your knee to pedal. What happened??
There ya are, a half mile away from “base” and you can’t bend your knee to pedal. What happened??
I Frankenstein-walked the bike back to work–coasting a couple of times when there was enough of a decline. Then I borrowed our work pickup truck to get home.
Oh, and I plugged the A2B into the charger. Going to try again this afternoon. I also need to locate a manual for the A2B. I haven’t figured out if there’s a way of knowing the battery life.
“Throwed”? I think the word you want to use is “Threw”.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/threw
C’aint you read, Rusty? I didn’t get throwed threw nothin. I got throwed to the ground.
Prolly one ‘a them college edjamacated kids, Ted. (chuckle)
Actually, the correct (for consistency) headline should read:
“Back on the horse what throwed me”
Indubitably, Sir. I accept your fine suggestion, and have affected your proposed alteration. ‘Tis only those who would deny me my native dialect whose emendations I shall reject outright.
Giddy-Up Cowboy!…. glad ta hear yer doing dang good. Whenever I hear of an accident or have one of my own, I think of the saying; “Every time my hind-end gets higher than my head, I get in trouble”. I have never been able to learn anything from that saying, but, it helps to laugh. I hope you continue to have a speedy recovery.
Grand Marquis Huh – I had one of those – it was smoother than whale poop and I got 27-28 mpg on the highway! Plus, getting mistaken for an unmarked state trooper can sometimes be a nice side benefit.