The hill

Ok, spring is slowing moving out. The windy cold days are giving way to windy warmer days and that means summer is not far away. Soon, it will he hotter than fist place at the CNN microphone after a congressional vote.

To me, this is the offical start of biking season. I have been out a couple of times already and have one big ride in. It was a 20 mile one a couple of weekends ago. The first 10 miles went fine and I was really happy with the shape I was in. Then, I turned around and realized I had been riding with the wind. That part made it clear I wasn't ready for ESPN's Race of the Goats. Old goats I mean.

Anyway, I am living in a nifty place right now. It's a week stay new hotel and anyone who knows me knows hotels are just fine with me. They don't have to be fancy, either. I am as happy in an old run down one next to a Denny's as the Las Vegas Hilton. There is just something about hotel living that agrees with me.

This one is built on a new street in a new neighborhood in a new part of Lincoln. It's so new that some of the sidewalks are not complete so some of them end and you have some dirt to navigate or as the case more recently, mud. At the bottom of the hill that leads to my little hotel is one of Lincoln's major streets. It's a four lane divided one that comes off of Interstate 80 and the speedlimit is medium zoom--not the best place for a biker. I mean mountain biker, pedal type.

If you look south from the intersection, you will see it. I think it could have been developed as a ski slope. If you don't raise your glance, your eyes will rest about half way up. In bike terms, this one is a challenge--somewhere down there in the 1:1, 1:2 gear range by the time you get to the top. Frankly, I run out of bike and juice before I get there so rather than get off my bike and walk it up the rest of the way in humiliation. I take another route. This one take you around the big hill and up a different, more gentle grade to nirvana--Wal-Mart and HyVee.

About 1/3 of that approach is around and through a new Lincoln high school complex. It's big. Bigger than all of my home town Hartington. I am sure it cost more to build than all of Hartington, too.

I decided to take the easy way because I stepped in a hole coming off the bus yesterday and apparently injured my goatusmus maximus. No, I didn't injure my butt or "glute." The goatamus is the muscle that runs along the bottom of your foot. It
doesn't have the best ability to stretch and take abuse like it did when I was a 55 year old kid. As a result, I am in some pain and convinced myself that what I needed could be found by biking to Wal-Mart.

It was a beautiful night and an easy ride so it was a good decision on my part. I bought some ibuprofen, one of those heating bags you can microwave, and some cool whip to go with my chocolate ice cream.

After all, just because I am injured doesn't mean I don't need to keep up my strength.