Gearing up yesterday for a typical bike ride, before leaving I fiddled around with Google Maps on my desktop. Created something that accurately details my regular circuit from Home in Edmonds, to the beach at Silver Lake, following both on city streets, and long sections of the Interurban Trail. Google also calculated the distance each way at 14.2 miles, thus agreeing with the odometer on my bicycle computer.
In addition, Google Maps included estimated times for the route shown, predicting it would take 1 hour 22 minutes for me to reach the lake. Challenged by this essentially objective statistic, I was determined to do the entire distance that much more quickly.
Actually better biking weather than in recent days, as it’s cooled down a bit, with no rain and just enough sun. Downed the last of my mocha, ate a quick PBJ and apple from the tree, then set out to hit the road. Starting up the Interurban, had it mostly to myself, with a few other bicycles, the regular joggers, and those enjoying an afternoon stroll all sharing the trail. Pushing north against a fairly constant headwind, I was maintaining a strong pace, and figured Google’s time would soon be beaten.
Pulled up to the beach front at Silver Lake with an elapse time of 1 hour 6 minutes, feeling really pumped, and overall in reasonably sound shape. Heck, if I could better Google’s estimates that easily, I must be pounding down damn good average miles, at least for a man about to reach double nickel age.
Sat myself down to rest at a picnic table for at least 10 minutes, wanted to rehydrate, and fully catch my breath. Took a picture of the bike on an empty beach background, with no screaming kiddies as in weeks past, since they’ve all gone back to school. Turned my bike around, paused to refill water at the drinking fountain, and headed south. Now I’d be pedaling back with a light tailwind pushing me along.
Heading through the cool shadows of a rather densely forested section near Martha Lake, caught myself up with this rolling caravan of merry bicycle pranksters. These were some very road weary dudes, with front and rear panniers hung heavy and bulging, who slowly were winding their way up the gently climbing trail.
After politely passing a few of them on the left, rode up beside this one, and ask him how far they were going. He replied they planned to pedal south, all the way to Argentina! OMG! Seems these five guys were a crew of amateur filmmakers, documenting their adventure as they rode from the northern coast of Alaska, down the Pan-American Highway, all the way to the southern tip of Argentina! Un-Fucking Believable!
Casually pedaling beside this fit looking fellow, told him how puny I felt just then, riding my little 30 mile local loop. He answered I should imagine how small they felt, intending to pedal more than 18,000 miles, traversing the entire Pacific Coast, down through all the Americas. Totally impressed with their efforts, got the website to track progress (PedalSouth.org) wished them a safe journey, and proceeded my own way south alone.
Arrived home to discover that even after chatting with my new cyclists friends, I still managed a 1 hour 5 minute time for my return. While earlier I imagined myself as fairly spry to have reached Silver Lake so quickly, somehow besting Google’s estimate now seemed an empty achievement. In comparison to those five young men still riding out there, pedaling south thousands of miles on their burdened down bicycles, of what could I really boast?
Such a poignant moment, the events of my own life seen through the eyes of other people’s experiences, has left me feeling more than a little humbled. And isn’t it funny how deftly fate effortlessly deflated my ego, using only a chance encounter with adventure, especially so sublimely motivating as this one?
Now then, if you’ll please excuse me, it’s time to take off once again for another fabulous ride!
