Birthdays and Being Seen

Some of the music in my iTunes library was missing artwork so the Virgo in me got busy and found the missing images. I feel better now.

Rachel and I celebrated birthdays last week—her 25th and my 59th! Tammy and I met Rachel and her friends at a bar in Rochester before going out with them to Jenpachi Japanese Steak House. We all sat in a semicircle around a grill and were dazzled by our chef as he tossed bowls full of rice behind his back and up over his head with flames shooting 3 feet in the air above the grill while adding knives and other tools of the trade to the items he was juggling. It was impressive!

A bottle of saki worked its way around our table and added to the fun. Best of all, Rachel really enjoyed herself. She has some good friends!

We made it to the State Fair on Friday and walked 11 miles around the fairgrounds. Still, that's nowhere near our record of 14 miles from a couple years ago. It was nice to make it back after not being able to go last year. And I escaped without having to buy a massage chair cushion for $300 that Tammy fell in love with when we stopped for a break. The vendor was reeling in the tired fish as fast as he could but we managed to get away. Whew!

I've had a couple close calls on my bike in the past few weeks where people have failed to see me which sent me reaching for a handful of brake to avoid them. It's all about being visible to people who are more focused on looking for cars rather than a cyclist. I've been using a Dinotte tail light for the past two years and like it a lot. It's so unlike any other blinking rear light I've seen because of how intense its light is. It's visible from 3 miles away and I know this because my brother Bryan and I tested it last fall on a long stretch of highway near Elko.

But my Dinotte rear light does nothing for those who are seeing the front of me. I've fixed that with a Specialized Stix array. It too is visible from a long way off. I'm feeling better about being seen. In a perfect world, I wouldn't need all of this extra clutter on my bike but I'm happy to play along if this is what it takes to stay safe.

I spent part of my birthday on a much needed longish ride. I commented on Facebook that 59 may be the age reflected on my driver's license but try telling that to the kid in me. I hope to never grow up and act my age.



Comments

John A Hill said…
Yep, being seen on a motorcycle is also challenging.
Stay safe, brother.

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