Think back to the first time you and your friends tried mixing all the sodas in the pop fountain. You watched each different fizz cascade into the 64 oz. Big Gulp, mesmerized as the cola-colored puddle metamorphosed into a rust-colored, guaranteed gut-buster of a beverage. You thought to yourself, "Is this a good idea?"

And if you're anything like me, you said, "What the hell," and took a sip and even as you felt your Cheetoes and chocolate milk crawling back up your throat (with just a hint of Dr. Pepper), you swore to all your friends--you swore to God--that it was the "best thing ever made, try it, you gotta try it, just try it." And in the end, after fighting back your lunch, you decided it wasn't really that bad. And you took another sip.

That's what life is like in mredison's neighborhood. Welcome.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

On the Road Again

To celebrate a week of not using my car, I decided to ride my bike to the Fitchburg Panera using the Capitol City Trail (CCT). I had seen the route on the bike map, and even though the path veered off the normal city streets labeled in green and into the gray areas outside of town, I decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed. Before I headed out, I had a stutter start--left the bike lock at home.

After turning back and re-riding the two miles I had just covered, I set my bike up against the railing by the stairs and realized--stupidly, slowly--that I could adjust my seat to make it more comfortable. After angling the saddle down from the take-off angle to level cruising, I headed out for the trail.

The CCT rambles through several forest preserves, down small gullies and up through stands of pine trees. An hour later--fourteen miles down the trail--I popped out onto Fish Hatchery Road directly in front of Panera.

Right as the trail switches from Madison bikeways to state trail, I felt a sweet sense of euphoria, the kind I used to feel running down the Catfish Creek footpath at Mines of Spain. You feel like you've left everything behind and you round a bend and suddenly it's just you and all four directions. Today's ride was awesome.
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