Bike to Work Day

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Today is the national bike to work day. I clearly remember my very fist day at Qualcomm on May 11, 1998. A friend of mine named Alan Bird, who worked at Qualcomm called me up and said, "Hey, next Friday is bike to work day, do you want to ride?" That seemed quite impossible to me, after all, it was 13 miles from my house to work. Nobody could ride a bike 26 miles in one day could they? Well, I'm game for anything so off we went. Between my house and my work is a beautiful canyon called Penasquitos Canyon. I've included some pictures of the bike path through this canyon. What a beautiful ride. It about killed me and it took about 75 minutes that first day. The problem with the ride is not only the fact that there are some killer hills in the canyon but when I get to work on the other end there is a big mama hill coming up out of the canyon and then when I get home at the end of the day there is another big mama hill to come up out of the canyon. That first day I almost puked going up what is called the goat track. The very name gives you an idea of what it is like. Well we enjoyed ourselves so much that we said we should do this once a month. I don't think we did it again until the next year on bike to work day but then we did it pretty much once a week until daylight savings time ended. I've been riding off and on ever since then and I don't think I've ever missed a bike to work day. It now takes me about 45 minutes to make the ride. It is a beautiful ride and I've seen skunks, deer, coyotes, a bobcat, rattle snakes, and thousands of rabbits. I encountered the rattle snake one morning when it was quite cold. I came around a corner and there was the snake stretched across the trail. He was a good six feet long. I figured I could maybe stop in time but there was a good chance I would stop right on top of the snake and that wasn't too appealing to me so I peddled harder and lifted my feet as I went over top of the snake. I needn't have worried, he didn't even flinch. I guess it was so cold that he wasn't moving too fast. I'm a little sad now because they put a new freeway in and they added a bike path along the freeway. It is paved and smooth and though it is a little longer they've changed that very steep hill at the end of the path to a long gentle slope that is eight miles long. It is much easier to ride and I haven't ridden the canyon since. Although the ride is so beautiful, when it is 90° outside and I'm tired, the paved bike path is much more attractive. I think maybe it is time to ride the canyon again. Maybe next week, today I'm taking the paved path home. Guess what else I'm doing today? I'm donating blood. I'm not sure it was a good idea to donate blood on the day I rode my bike but the blood mobile is coming to Kyocera today and I want to line up with Alex so we can donate together next time so here I am. I hope I don't pass out riding home.