The Purple Love and Bike to Work Day (7/26/08)

On Bike to Work Day I rode the Purple Love down the mile-long gravel road on the ranch to feed the animals. The rescued horses, who had probably never seen a bike before, appeared shocked. Shima began to run around, but not run away. Curiosity overtook both mares, and they had to have a better look. They sniffed toward the direction of the bike and snorted at it. I rang the bell, which was also very surprising and interesting to them. 

Then I pedaled over to the pigs. Simone jumped up, startled, but then trotted over to inspect this captivating object lying in her midst. Was it a toy? Was it tasty? She circled the bike, turning the wheels and pedals, and put her mouth on a handlebar, then grunted once or twice and returned to her food.

After feeding time and the sun began to set, I pedaled uphill to my yurt passing the little growing porcupine waddling around on the side of the driveway. The baby's spikes would've camouflaged him so well in the grass, were he not black. He turned his head slowly to glance back at me to see if I'd spotted him. His little face and shiny, tiny black eyes reminded me of a guinea pig, but a punk guinea pig, with his spiked-up do. Ever so slowly, he waddled away into the tall grass and disappeared.

Now I can't help but contrast this Bike to Work Day with last year's, in which I met my friend Deb in downtown Boulder for breakfast outside Dushanbe and we both rode and bussed and rode to Interlocken, where we worked at a marketing agency. All along the way we were given food and gift certificates. Back then she rode the Purple Love, and I rode an old green bike, but now Deb lives in Hawaii and has left the Purple Love to me while she's gone. I, in turn, left one of my green bikes with my friend Ashley, who's now riding it to work in Boulder.

I hadn't even realized that it was Bike to Work Day -- organized in Boulder by my friend Sue -- until I talked with my friend Mike last night and he mentioned that it was Bike to Work Day in Denver. Maybe I sensed it, but nonetheless, I appreciated the bird's eye view that I can't get from the vantage point of the huge Ford ranch truck, and think I'll bike to work more often.