Well, it’s been nearly a month. I can’t say much about why I haven’t written in so long other than to say maybe I needed a break. I sat down to write a few times and decided it was just too much work. Too much thinking when I didn’t really want to think too much.
But it all worked out. While I can’t really say I’ve gotten the mental rest I’ve needed, I can say that I’ve gotten by and have even stumbled upon something that’s got me really fired up — my bike rack.
I’ve only taken it out once and it’s made me realize how much I was missing. I’ve driven to a few rides in the past — up to Seoul to meet Eric for some epic tree hunts and over to Ich’eon and Yeoju for more of the same — but it’s always been just a touch too logistically bothersome to be a regular thing. A bother in only that I had to fold down the rear seats in my car, take off the front wheel, and wedge the bike in there somehow. Throw in that the one time I did that with my current bike, it put the front fender out of whack a bit (enough to bug me when I looked down at it and saw it out of line with the front tire).
So, having gotten over my regrets about not ordering a hitch on my car for the extra $1,000, I bit the bullet and ordered the roof rack setup for my car; and although it was a bit pricey, I realize it still ended up quite a bit cheaper than the hitch and the rack I would have had to buy to use it. The only regret I have left is that I only have the one rack for the roof. I’m not gonna buy another (for nearly $200) just to take a friend along, so there’s still the logistics of folding down the seats if anyone wants to come along, but at least it’s not my bike. And this is just what happened this last week, when Joon threw his bike in the back of my car (it’s smaller anyway), and we took an early-morning drive to a parking lot from which we launched a great ride.
But this isn’t even the best news. What’s really got me excited is the possibility of travelling a bit more of Korea with Micha and Sommie. The country is small enough that you can get just about anywhere in it within a few hours, but it’s so different in so many places that it can seem like you’ve left the country entirely if you do. And as I was watching a video blog of a Korean rider I follow on YouTube, I had the epiphany to set out and explore. I’ve long had this pattern of riding on Saturday mornings, then getting back to do whatever we could with the rest of the day. But after doing this for so long, I was getting the feeling like we’d all fallen into a rut. Sure, I was getting out and enjoying myself, but what about Micha? Of course, she sleeps in quite a bit longer than my 5AM starts, so she’s not missing so much of me, but still it seemed to always be the same old thing.
So get ready for some more interesting adventures starting in a month or so (I’ve got other commitments through the 4th of July weekend). I want to do a D2R (“Drive to Ride”) at least once a month, but a couple of those through the rest of the year have to be to places Micha has always wanted to see. It’s a win-win, and I’m thrilled at the possibilities.
