Fixed the Park

(if the grammar and spelling seems a bit worse than usual, blame it on a slight hangover from a friends birthday celebration last night)

The weather in Michiana has finally switched to more a spring-like condition than a winter-like one. This is subject to revision though. It has snowed here towards the end of May. That might have been 1987. Damn, I am getting old. That and the hangover make me want to crawl back in bed. Where was I going with this?

Oh, yeah- Took the fixed gear to Central Park (no, not THAT central park; this one is in Mishawaka) to see how the new bridge between the Battel and Beutter parks turned out and to check the bike path conditions. For a relatively small area (about a 2 mile loop) they have done a great job of incorporating landscape, art, architecture and public use. If the long term plans for this area are carried out in a similar manner, they will have created a well developed public space that is attractive to visitors as well as to current and potential residents. It wasn't completely out of my mind to move close to the area while riding around. There were a number of bicyclists and runners as well as people walking, laying out and taking in the day with their dogs. And that last part just makes me happy.

In riding the fixie in the park, a couple of things occurred to me. The first was its stealthy manner. People do not hear it coming at all. When you glide past them you get a sense they were not expecting to be overtaken by anyone walking, rollerblading or anything else, but especially not a bike. So a little extra caution there.

Another thing was other bicyclists in the park. A mountain bike zoomed past while I was pseudo trackstanding and taking in some of the new park features. A short while later found me positioned to pass him. Going up a hill. While he was fumbling around with his gears. Internally I was laughing since this is the kind of story many who ride a fixed gear write about.

Most people pay little attention to bike types, but it was curious to see some of the expressions of people who did. One guy in particular studied the bike with a look of confusion- I know something is different, but just can't tell what it is.

I'm going back to bed now. The drugs aren't working.