View From the Streets

As I rode into the downtown/old town section of Santa Fe, more commonly referred to as the Plaza, I remembered the day; last Saturday of July. An icy shiver ran down back as I found myself being surrounded by the land whales, skateboard cars, and duelly trucks. San Francisco Street was a parking lot, and I used my mobility to reverse course and search for alternate routes. I swung around a back route, turned at the barricades, and went far enough nothing should have been there... wrong. Even Lincoln Avenue was barricaded, three-to-four deep on each side. It looked like Berlin in 1962! The only thing missing were the Soviet weapons; they use Israeli here.
I slid past one stormtrooper by rolling up the sidewalk before the wall, effectively confusing a seventh grade education. Two down...
The gates at the street weren' the problem, it was the sea of humanity flowing in both directions. Bad economy? The thousands upon thousands of souls I saw buying "art for art's sake" didn't seem to think so. Patiently, I awaited a Moses-like moment when all the random streams aligned just right and I could roll across the road. Leaving walls of barriers is quite simple; you roll through. No one even notices you, and if they do, your out before they can say, "Bicycles are not..."
Literally twenty minutes later than expected, I arrived at my destination. Had I been in a car, I would have had to park a mile or so away and walk in.

And in other news... no, I still haven't had a cigarette. One year, seven months tomorrow.

The Basis of It All

What drives us? Bikes. So without further ado, here's my daily driver...
'07 San Jose. I had waffled about getting a track bike for a couple of years, but when I saw the versatility in this rig, coupled with fixed-gear capability, I knew I had found my ride.
Like a true Bike Junkie, I have swapped some parts around. I got rid of the "road" drop bars, and added a "dirt drop" style bar. the Sugino cranks went into the parts box, and my classic Stronglight cranks (with drilled chainring) came out of retirement. Lights, and a slick brass bell, keep me noticed on our kooky streets. The tires can handle dirt roads and rolling trails, the gearing is low enough for light all-terrain. If Winter weather hits, the rack-n-fenders will go on for the commute.
Now if my other bikes would stop looking at me like that...