A View from Two Wheels On the 14th of September around 5:30 AM, it is time to start my almost daily routine of getting on my bicycle. Pulling my 2010 Giant Defy 5 road bike out from the bed of my rusted 1992 Ford F-150 truck, I feel anxious and back in my comfort zone. This same feeling that I always get comes to me again as I sling my leg over the bike seat and find a comfortable sitting position. The feel of the cool September air almost persuades me to just pack everything back up and leave, but after about 5 minutes of stretching, the sight of two more cyclists getting on the Raccoon River Trail is what finally pushes me to start my 40.0 mile trip all the way through downtown Des Moines and back.
Only a couple of miles into the ride I take a deep breath of fresh air, the wonderful damp smell of the Raccoon River and the wet ground fill my nose and almost have a calming effect to my body. Further down the trail, into Water Works Park, the Theodore Roosevelt High School Cross Country team is doing strides in one of the huge fields provided by the park. The sound of crunching grass can be heard as their shoes hit the ground as well as the encouraging yells from the coach as he tries to keep his runners content throughout the workout. I finish my ride for the day with two empty water bottles and around 40.16 miles under my belt, and can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
The next couple days are all the same starting out; as I pull my bike down away from my truck at around 12:00 in the afternoon, the sound of locusts engulf the entire trail and its surroundings by the time I head back out onto the Greenwood trail. With my destination of choice being Johnston, IA and will give me another good 30.0 miles or so, to have some alone time and help clear my head. Around 16.0 miles into my Sunday ride I see a man along the bike trail with his bike upside down straining to change out a troublesome flat tire. I pull off of the trail and walk over to the man to offer my assistance in putting on the new tube, as he agrees; I notice that he is an older gentleman probably around 60 years old with a very scraggly beard and out of place hair from wearing his helmet for too long. As I loosen the nuts that clasp the axle to the frame, in order to take off the tire, the man tells me about his ride so far and that he’s never had to change a flat tire. We both continue to explain different areas of the route that we prefer over others, while I remove his old inter-tube and replace it with the spare one. Almost 10 minutes later as I am about to finish up, I pull out my air pump and fill the tire back to its original position while the man continuingly thanks me for stopping and helping. I then proceeded to continue on my bike ride where I end the day with a grand total of 33.88 miles.
Traveling along the bike trail the next day towards Cumming, IA, the roar of airplane engines starting up and taking off can be heard as I make my way along the back fence line of the Des Moines International Airport. It’s Taco Tuesday’s at Cummings Tap, a small
