Yesterday morning, Pierre and I loaded our bicycles and headed for a local bike trail. To keep this story in context, I must add that we have owned the bikes for several years, haven't ridden them in several years, and had to use two different cars to get to the lake, because we had no bike rack and couldn't fit both in one car. Additionally, before we left, I waited upstairs for Pierre's call for help on pumping up his flat tires. He, like I days before, had forgotten how to use the pump. And one more piece of context - we had bought the Honda CRV based almost entirely on the fact that it showed a picture of two bikes standing upright inside. Don't believe everything you see!

So, off we went to the bike path, which runs around the side of a beautiful lake. Clinging on for dear life, I began the trail. I had heard that it was 20 miles and I was sure that there was no way that I could possibly complete such a long ride. But as time progressed, and Pierre taught me that going up hills you use the lowest gear - I had been using the highest - completion looked more possible. Only a little farther, I thought and then I realized that I hadn't seen Pierre for a little while. I stopped my bike and waited, thinking that he must have run into some trouble because during the rest of the ride he had always been waiting ahead for me. No Pierre. So now I rode further up the trail thinking he might be waiting for me further ahead. No Pierre. Finally I decided he must have had a flat tire or an accident back in the parking lot we had ridden through - the last time I had seen him. So I turned around and drove back the mile or so and saw him standing in the parking lot. So, I was right - he probably has a flat tire.

"Where have you been?" he asked. Turns out when we had reached the parking lot where we had started, Pierre had stopped, loaded up his car and then come to my car to help me load mine. But no Gillian. I am going to blame this momentary disorientation on the fact that later we learned the bike path was 9.3 miles, not the 20 I had thought. Truth is that most of the time I have no sense of where I am. Same reason that I have lost my car many times in parking lots - one loss which required an overnight stay at a hotel until the car could be located!

But, let's change the subject and say we were very impressed with the numerous people exercising early on a Saturday morning - walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading. All ages, all races, all sizes and shapes. And even more impressive, they were excercising on the first 100 degree day in Texas.

Pierre wanted to go biking again today, but I thought we should take a break until next week until I can get myself better oriented! We are taking bets on the next time the bikes get used!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Photo: Copyright JRCompton.com