May 23 night
I think I am dehydrated. Biking two hours in the sun today
got pretty rough at the end there.
I pulled my bike over to the side of the trail where I had
seen a water fountain. Holding my bottle up to the spigot, I licked my thickly
swollen and sticky lips. Ohhh, water. Get in me. I held down the button.
Nothing. I tried again. Not a drop emerged. I almost cried. No greater tragedy!
Ohhhhh, the humanity!! It was at least another half hour until I hit Lake
Calhoun where I had seen a fountain. I must push. The sun was hot on my neck
and arms, and a layer of sweat made my t-shirt cling to my back. I looked
longingly at the Mississippi River that lunged and rushed and swirled in its
delightful wetness. Undrinkable…but I was definitely considering it. I must
push. I must move forward. Ever forward. I pedaled away from the river, it’s
gushing and tempting flow growing fainter with each push of the pedal.
I’m hungry. My stomach growled loudly. I should have eaten
more today. As I continued down the trail, I felt my legs growing heavy and my
head growing light. Whatever weight my brain had carried was now shifting into
my thighs like lead blocks, and my head was left to float in dazed
haziness. It may have been too
hot, and I may have been unprepared water-wise, and I probably went too far.
But I wanted to see how far the trail went. I wanted to keep going and not
think about how I would, eventually, have to turn around and bike that distance
back home. We make our choices. And we must survive them. I could feel the
drops of sweat drip down my back and calves. Headache was setting in.
Needless to say, I made it to the fountain. The lake never
looked so inviting. Water from a public fountain never tasted so good. Sitting
on my bike, water dribbling down my chin and onto my chest, I tried to push off
again. Whoops. Head still way too light. I promptly fell over. Okaaaaay. Yeah. Not cool. I mustered as
much grace as I could to climb back on. Did anybody see that? I think I caught
it quick enough, right?
It’s a beautiful ride, honey. Takes us right down to the
Mill City Farmers Market, and crosses the bridge to Aster Café. I want to take
you there some weekend morning. We’ll just have to remember to take water ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment