Rats!

Date: Aug 9
Mileage: 8
Ride type: Errands
Bike: LHT
Temp: 75
August mileage: 51
Year to date: 1079

a quick errand ride today whilst the fam was getting their churching on. i've managed to trash all of my old tennis shoes doing yardwork, so i decided to acquire some inexpensive shoes to do that kinda thing. this a.m., i decided to ride the LHT down to Target, which is not too terribly far, but it's along a major thoroughfare. Bardstown Rd. expands to 6 lanes (total), and it runs through the Watterson Expwy interchange. those are always dangerous around here b/c they're not in the least bit engineered for bikes. i sauntered off on the LHT, and to my surprise, Target was only about 2 miles away, even though it was along heavily-trafficked roads. it's yet again one of those "ah hah!" insight moments. what happened if 10% of those Target shoppers decided to ride? actually, Target is next to Wally-World (Wal-Mart). i could've gotten even cheaper shoes there, but i couldn't bring myself to do so.

after Targeting, i rode by church b/c they were having a picnic and free hotdogs. plus the boys were having a good time b/c they had rented a big slide and bouncy thing. and then home for 8 miles total. not too taxing but a good utility ride.

other observations:

**i saw a dead rat not too far from Wally-World, right in the middle of the road. i'm used to dead squirrels and an occassional possum, but rats seems to imply something a bit seedier.

**ran across a woman doing some hardwork at a house where i've been coveting some of their plants, in this case Joe Pye Weed. she was very nice. then her husband started inquiring about the LHT, at first thinking it was a CrossCheck. seems he's a mt.biker (with huge tatoo down one leg) and has been coveting a Surly 1x1. hope he gets there.

**spent much of last night with good friend who's a proff at WKU. he's been attending the Rural Sociology Conference. interesting to spend some time with smart folk who want to solve important problems, and making it their life's work to do so. they'll probably fail while Satan is in White House.

**been a glutton this weekend, especially Friday. Steak, Beer, Wine, Ice Cream. felt like one of those NY society folks you see the pictures of after their 10-course meals at the club. sorta gross.

Comments

LvilleTex said…
i'm amazed that your parents let you ride from Strathmoor all the way to Bashford Manor. #1 it's gone. torn down and converted into WalMart and Lowes. more importantly, that could never happen in modern age. that's not to say that Z couldn't get down there on his own, but i just can't imagine. we, like most parents, overparent even if he's going down the damn street. times change!
Anonymous said…
Bashford Manor is also where a girl disappeared (and was never found, even when they recently tore it down to build the mega stores there). We went there often, but I can't imagine riding there from your house alone as a ten-year old.

BTW, that stretch of Bardstown Road sucks if you're driving, too -- it's poorly designed for everyone, not just bikes.
LvilleTex said…
Anonymous raises good points. funnily enough, her name was Ann Gotlieb (or something like that). why do i remember? b/c it was on the news 24/7 (before 24/7 was even close to being in the modern parlance).

i saw an interesting commentary recently abt how much we focus on the BIG STORIES like Ann Gotlieb and the Jo Benet Ramsey (or whatev the @#$ the name is), but forget the 600,000 children who get the living shit beaten out of them on a daily basis. food for thought.

and yes, that part of B'town sucks ass. it's the first time i rode on it in my life. and i'm glad chris g (whom i know from backintheday) survived it.

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