Travelling on Something Besides my own Two Feet

Yesterday afternoon Bry'Chell and I put our newly purchased bicycles to use. Bry'Chell said she didn't want to go, but I told her she was going. This was followed by a discussion about helmets. The helmet discussion was entirely predictable. We have it every time she gets on her bike in Chicago. Equally predictable, she wore her helmet. I don't know why she bothers to bring it up. Helmets are non-negotiable. OK, I had to threaten to not do her hair in order to get the helmet on her head. I'm not above threats.

We rode quite a ways--I'd guess about five miles each way over hilly terrain. I've been away from California too long and Bry'Chell has never ridden hills. We both had a good workout.

The countryside was beautiful, but we pretty much had to keep our eyes on the road. Except for the main highway, all the roads are dirt. I wouldn't ride a bike on the highway. It's way, way too dangerous. Once we were off the main dirt road most of the traffic was pedestrian. There were some boda-bodas and two trucks--lorries as they're called here. Lorries are generally not big trucks, just open bed trucks a bit larger than a pickup truck.

Many of the people we saw were on their way to get water. They carried large plastic jerry cans. I would guess they hold five gallons. Getting water is mostly a job for kids and teenagers. Some had bicycles to carry their cargo, but most were carrying them. Many were coming a good distance--a kilometer or more. The pump was along the road and people streamed to it from both sides. Those cans must weigh at least 40 pounds when they're full.

The hills were fun to ride down and less fun to ride up. A couple of times we just couldn't ride all the way up the hills and ended up pushing our bicycles. I usually hung on to riding a bit longer than Bry'Chell did. I have a little more practice with using bicycle gears than she does and more experience on hills. I didn't grow up in flat Chicago. Still, I'm out of practice and Bry'Chell is pretty determined.

Bry'Chell actually admitted that she had a good time. She did run into five different classmates and was totally mortified to be seen in her helmet. I was unsympathetic, but did buy her a bottle of pop at the trading center on the way back.

Today I'm sore in all the predictable places. I don't mind.