I hate having to write this post but to keep an honest account of our journey, you get to see the bad and the ugly along with the good. Today was actually mostly awesome, it just ended on an ugly note. Today, the bike won.
Big Brother's ready to work!
Big Brother and I rode out early to Practical Cycle where they were arranging a Ride for the Earth--a short bike ride to the Great American River Clean Up event. We met up with Cassidy of the shop and a couple other riders arrived to join in the fun. After a few wrong turns, we finally made it to the clean up spot. Armed with gloves, trash bags, water, and bellies full of doughnuts, we ventured off into the trees. Sadly, the parkway has quite the homeless population camping out there. I won't go into a long rant about the lack of resources and support available to our city's less fortunate but it is a very sad situation both for the people and for the environment. In just one camp, we filled up about 15 bags of garbage and two shopping carts full of stuff. The signs of alcoholism, drug use, and hopelessness were very apparent. It was also depressing to see that no matter how much stuff we picked up, we could never get it all. However, after about three hours, we were ready to call it a day.
Heading back to our house, Big Brother was ready for a nap, as was I. Instead, for me, it was time for another biking adventure. My aunt had offered us a loveseat awhile back but not knowing many people with trucks, we had never picked it up. Our neighbor, a fellow cargo biker and friend, had a homemade bamboo trailer that he offered to put to the test. Since we didn't have too far to go and he was willing to sacrifice the trailer for the good of the experiment, off we went. It was a pretty amazing sight to watch a sofa ride by! We were turning heads left and right, but the poor Mundo kept calling out "I could do that too.." I think she felt left out. The trailer was awesome, it doesn't look like much, just a few bamboo shoots (some split pretty deeply), metal screen, and two wheels (the milk crates kept the couch up). As we rode the two miles back, the sofa would sway and wobble while the trailer flexed ominously but it all held and now we have a brand new loveseat gracing our living room. A fantastic experiment!
It had been a long, hot day and it wasn't over yet! Although, it probably should have been as this is where everything fell apart. The G'parents came over to sit on the boys while Jose and I got to sneak away for our very first Biking Progressive Dinner. We rode out to a house where another 35+ bikers were going to meet and have hors d'oeuvres, then, we'd all ride over to the next location for dinner, followed by another ride out to dessert. We were surrounded by tons of fascinating folks and awesome bikes of all shapes and sizes and models. There were a few other Xtracycles, some Chariots, but only one amazing Mundo! Sadly, though, the day had gotten to me. Shortly after arriving, the little niggling headache turned into a full blown migraine. Sweaty, shaky, and nauseous, I had to excuse myself, somehow riding the couple miles back to the house. My memories of that part is pretty vague. The rest of the evening was spent in a very dark room feeling more miserable than I had been since childbirth. I'm hoping that we are lucky enough to get another invite because from the little I can remember, it was pretty fun!
This was the first time in a long time that I had to admit that it was too much. We have been averaging over 10 miles a day, with most days being closer to 20. I think with the heat, the riding, and still recovering from the Modesto trip, it was time for my body to make me stop. A good night's sleep was in order and I think this coming week will be a bit slower for us.
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