Life On A Bike - By S.

As I begin to ride over the bridge, I have the music on my Walkman turned up loud so I can hear over the traffic. Now and then, I stop to watch the morning sun as it breaks over the ocean.

The bridge I'm traversing is a test in endurance. A lot of times I don't stop until I get to the top, and sometimes once I'm pedaling, I don't stop at all. When I get to the top of the bridge, I get an adrenaline rush as I go down the big sloping hill thats part of the other side of the bridge. My music is sounding good as I soar down that hill and I am feeling happy to be there.

When I get down to the other side of the bridge, I buy a soda, a snack, and some cigarettes. Then I ride on down to the beach to pick up shells and enjoy the view of the beautiful, vast, wide ocean, and the sea birds as they fly. Early in the morning, the beach is less crowded. I practically have it to myself except for some joggers and dog-walkers.

This is where life on a bike can be swell, but one can't stay at the beach forever, unless you live there, and I certainly can't afford that! So I go back to the traffic annoyances and mostly rude people yet again. But I am not one to shrink from my tasks. While I'm in town, I run a number of errands and do some shopping on my bike. Later on, I'll get a ride back to where I really live.

This is the only vacation I get, now it's back to being vigilant about traffic constantly, as car rides are rare.

If you ride a bicycle as much as my friend Chris and I do, you practically have to have eyes in the back of your head to navigate the complexities of the streets. It's a study on being sharp, alert, and keenly aware - one small slip and you might end up under someone's car! (GULP!)

Experience proves I have to study all the angles to help me judge what people in their vehicles might do before they do it. Never take anything for granted. It's important to practice being able to read people and predict their actions and motives before riding out into traffic. It's amazing how many times I could tell when someone was about to make a quick turn down the alley I was about to cross before I entered their path, saving my butt!

I believe in intuition and I feel that many times it has helped me out of potentially dangerous situations. I'm glad to say I've never been hit by a car, though it's almost happened on several occasions. Unfortunately, my friend Chris has been hit by cars twice. Fortunately, he's still in one piece and doing fine today.

Chris and I, both seperately and together, have had long journeys on bikes, some of which were like nightmares! We've been down highways during the middle of the night, something I imagine nobody would enjoy.

Don't get me wrong, riding a bike will surely keep you in shape, but that's merely a by-product when you're limited to using your bike to travel.

If you stop somewhere, always remember to lock up your bike, never take chances - bike thieves take only a moment to run off with your ride. Meantime, be leery of any and all strangers. Many people might think you're an easy target because they see you are riding a bike as opposed to having the relative safety of a car. Being female, I have always been irritated by the annoying and disrespectful stares from on-lookers. I mostly ignore them, but I'll still pay attention enough to notice if they're up to no good, giving me the chance to avoid them.

Chris and I have noticed many snobby drivers think they have the right-of-way when it comes to bikers; that they think they're better people because they own cars. I personally believe it's not what you drive or own that matters, but who you are on the inside.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my scenic narrative of life on a bike, perhaps you may get your chance to try it one day, just be sure to stay safe and watch out for traffic. However you decide to take the ride, I hope you enjoy the journey.

- S.

Here I decided to add a list of some of my favorite suggestions for music on the go.

• The Beach Boys
• Eminem
• The Offspring
• Alice In Chains
• The Ramones
• U.N.K.L.E.
• Pink Floyd
• The Statler Brothers
• Nirvana
• Patsy Cline
• The New York Dolls
• The Scorpions
• The Beastie Boys
• Some good oldies tunes, in general, always do the trick, too!