Today I took my new bike out for its first longish ride. After some seriously sketchball riding on the streets, including a WAY TOO CLOSE call in which a motor bike ran a red light and missed hitting my by six inches, I made it to the bike trail that runs all the way down the Hudson. Although dodging rollerbladers wasn't always easy, it was about a million times better than worrying about an oblivious driver sideswiping me or opening a car door into me.

I rode along the river to 29th St, where I stopped for a short rest. It just so happened that I sat next to a very busy helicopter landing pad, or some such area. In the 15 minutes or so I was there, maybe 8 helicopters came and went. The wind from the propellers sprayed river water on me periodically and created quite the breeze, so it was rather refreshing - as long as I managed to forget I was being showered with the HUDSON. Um, yeah.



The little ride was wonderful. Some day this summer - perhaps after I build up a little endurance - I want to ride the trail that runs from 125th all the way down the Hudson, around the tip of Manhattan and back up the East River. It'd be quite the feat, but I figure the 12 or so miles I rode today is a start. Now all I need is a little bell on my bike to warn rollerbladers to ge the hell outta my way.