[Sportsandrec] Somewhere, Out There

[Nella Foster]

Ron I love reading the descriptions of your rides.  I really feel like I'm right there with you.  To bad I'm not getting the exercise benefit. Lol

Nella

-----Original Message-----
From: SportsandRec [mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ron Burzese via SportsandRec
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 8:14 AM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Cc: Ron Burzese
Subject: [Sportsandrec] Somewhere, Out There

I told Julie that this was our Third Day of January Cruise. Since our previous three rides had all been out to the park, mostly on a paved bike trail, I thought it was time to mix things up a bit.

Though I had been to Clarksburg, a few times with Josh and the Sacramento Wheelmen along with another time, with Sue, I’d never been the one to guide a pilot out there. When you are blind, you pick up on things, of course, but without frequent reinforcement, or visual stimuli, while going somewhere else, for example, the mental map can seem fuzzy at times. This is no reflection on an individual’s intelligence, but rather, part of the inconvenience of being blind.

Since Julie is still coming up to speed, as a cyclist, we’ve been riding, apart from any clubs, at this point. This way, we can go at our own pace, without any distractions from all the social interaction that makes a club ride so desirable. She calls me her personal trainer and I’d gladly accept that title.

After getting some ideas from a cyclist friend at church, I used Google Maps to give me a route to the Old Sugar Mill, a tourist destination, housing several wineries. There were two routes given, so I used both of them, forming a loop, that added a few extra miles.

I live on 13th Street, between T and U Streets. Google Maps told us to take Tomato Alley, which runs between the two lettered streets. Instead, I directed Julie to U Street, making a left, to go south on 11th Street. Julie sighed, wanting to explore Tomato Alley together, but I was focused on the mission.

11th Street becomes Riverside Blvd, for reasons that I won’t try to explain, here. Having never been responsible, I set out, like an astronaut, looking for a distant planet, hoping that my coordinates were sound. As Riverside changed to 41st Avenue, I wondered to myself, but Julie kept reading me the signs and giving me any options available. It was assuring to me, when the road would change back to Riverside.

Nearing our destination, she saw a bridge, one of the landmarks I’d hope to find. When she told me that Freeport Blvd was in front of us, I directed her to the right. This was the metal decked bridge that I had remembered, from previous rides, with a front tire, losing pressure, becoming squirrelly, on the potential cheese grater deck. She read me more signs, then we were four miles from Clarksburg. Since she had been out there twenty years before, on the back of a motorcycle, all sorts of thoughts were  flooding her mind. Being on a tandem, you are right there, with each other, to share memories and emotions, as they occur.

We pulled into our destination and leaned the bike against a tree. It was about 52 degrees, as I removed my fleece jacket. Julie brought us string cheese, Cliff bars, bananas, and a rockin’ raisin, berry mix! We snacked out and drank water, meeting various passers-by, as the tandem is a spectacle. Julie massaged my back and shoulders, drawing some comments, from another couple who shouted, “Wow! A stretch? And a massage?” To which I replied, “She even drives for me!” Not having a cane handy, nobody realizes I am blind, so I usually tell them. Often, Julie has observed, they still don’t believe me.

We met a couple, in their late twenties, or early thirties, also on bicycles. He was on a roadbike, while she, on a hybrid commuter. She said that she had control issues, so I offered to have her pilot for me. He asked me a lot of questions and we explained the advantages of riding tandem. He took my number, as I invited them to come out with us on one of my extra tandems.

After we left the reststop, Julie wanted to ride further south, to explore a little further. After a few miles, we turned around and continued along more uncharted territory, on the west side of the Sacramento River. I wanted to ride both sides, to see which we liked better. Julie was really enjoying the views of the river, homes, and barns. I was enjoying the peacefulness and country air, along with a silky smooth drivetrain and fat, fast tires, that felt plush on the patches of rough pavement. As we progressed, we came upon a few cyclists. It was the couple that we had just met. It would have been nice to ride with them, but the difference in speed was too great. I assume that he was painfully, holding back, to stay with his wife. I hope he will call me, because that was one of the advantages we mentioned.

As the time and miles passed, we had to pull over again, for additional calories. It seemed justifiable to us, since we had been eating only rabbit food, in lieu of a meal, at the lunch stop. Again, I began to doubt my navigation. I asked Julie if she could see the river, to our right? She answered affirmatively, but did not see the Tower Bridge, of which I inquired. She kept reading me signs, at intersections, as the pieces were beginning to come together for me, but still, no bridge. Julie, wanted to find a certain restaurant, from her teen years and as I had predicted, we ended up riding right past it. We agreed to go there, sometime, for steaks and ravioli. Based on her information, I had to make some quick decisions, due to lane selection and so forth. After a few, 90-degree turns, of West Sacramento’s urban landscape, the tall bridge emerged. It felt so satisfying to feel the familiar joints, under my wheels. We entered the downtown grid as I misdirected Julie, missing the turn that would take us over the R-Street bike bridge, over the 5 freeway. We went out of our way, to show her that novel feature of my neighborhood. In the closing blocks, I had remembered her request. I suggested that we take Tomato Alley. As the sun began to set, we both realized that it was the perfect ending to a good, day and a long ride.

After ditching the bike, we walked a few blocks, to grab a California Burrito and some tacos, since we had been craving them, for the past few days. We also resisted the taco truck, back at the wineries. We then mellowed out, to some Jack Johnson, on Pandora. Julie, napped hard, on my couch. I encouraged her, because she still had to make the drive home. As I walked her to her truck, it had dropped to 36 degrees. Even with her nap, she had no trouble sleeping through the night. I believe that she is experiencing those positive changes that occur when frequent exercise re-enters the lifestyle. She is having fun and feeling better. I’m happy to share the rides and am also benefiting, from the friendship and oh yeah, the exercise. We are planning to ride to Davis, next Saturday. It would be great to have another couple, or two, join us.

Sacramento Ron
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