Sunday January 15, 2006 was a beautiful day, too nice to waste just sitting around the house, so I decided to do a bike ride.  I can’t remember why but no one else was available to ride so I went by myself.  I purposely did not read the newspapers on line as I typically would do on a Sunday morning.  I figured to have a destination for my ride I would go to the Rochester Library and take a break and relax while I read hard copies the Detroit News and Free Press sport sections. 

The sun was out and the temperature was above freezing, I couldn’t ask for a better day for the middle of January in Michigan.  I left my house around 10:45 am.  I only put on a couple light layers to stay warm while riding against the wind and cool air.  I knew the sun would also be a big help in staying warm on this ride.  I took my time and rode through a few neighbor hood side streets on my way to the Library.  I thought about taking a portable radio with headphones to listen to while riding.  A lot of joggers and a few bike riders I run across have head phones on when I pass them by.  There wasn’t a sporting event on the radio that I could listen to and I’m not big on listening to music so I vetoed the idea of taking head phones.  Part of the attraction to riding for me is being able to watch and listen to everything happening around me.  I also have safety concerns when it comes to wearing head phones while riding.  I really like the radio that Pete has mounted to his handle bars.  You can listen to this radio and still hear everything else going on around you. 

As I pulled up to the Library something didn’t look right.  There were only a couple cars in the parking lot.  As I got closer it was quickly dawning on me that the Library was probably closed.  I rode up to the main entrance and took a look at the sign in the middle of the lawn near the door which stated the hours.  Sure enough it wasn’t open until 1:00 pm on Sunday.  I looked at the time on my cell phone and saw that it was around 11:30 am.  I certainly wasn’t going to wait an hour and a half for it to open.  I looked around and started slowly riding toward the river trying to decide what to do next.  I came across the new small amphitheater that was recently built near the river across from the Rochester Mills Brewery restaurant.  I got off my bike and sat on the top row of seats which is made of cement looking out toward the river.  There was no one else around and the only noise I could hear was the gentle flowing water passing across fallen branches in the river.  I though about lying down and closing my eyes and take a short nap.  The cement surface I was sitting on was cold and it only took a couple minutes for the cold to come through my wind pants.  I was quite warm from the ride to that point so the cold on the seat of my pants wasn’t bothersome for about ten minutes, then I started feeling cold.  I called Diane to see if she wanted me to bring her home a sandwich for lunch.  She asked what I was planning to get.  I told her I was fairly close to Penn Station.  Diane told me she wanted her usual artichoke with mushroom sub and I planned to get my current favorite teriyaki chicken sub. 

I rode the short distance to Penn Station and ordered our subs.  I used the gift certificates I bought myself during December to pay for the subs.  The gift certificates are really a good deal.  When you buy $20 worth you get a free sub.  So, on a couple different occasions I purchased $20 worth of certificates knowing full well I would use them in the near future.  Penn Station is one of my personal favorites, if you haven’t yet  tried a Penn Station sub I highly recommend them.   

I had to wait about seven minutes while they made the subs.  Once they were done I put them in an extra bag and loaded them into the burrito basket on the back of my bike.  With lunch waiting in my burrito basket I headed straight for home.  All of a sudden I was very hungry, knowing I had those subs on board.  I also ordered a large cup of french fries to share with Diane while we ate our subs.  They cut the potatoes and make the fries on the spot once you order, so they are very fresh and of high quality.  You just can’t go wrong at Penn Station.    

Nothing much to report on the ride home.  I took a fairly regular route to avoid traffic and minimize the effect of the hills.  I got home about 12:25 pm, it wasn’t a long ride, but still quite enjoyable. Following are the statistics from this ride, 12.3 miles, 18.5 max mph, 10.5 average mph and 1 hour and 10 minutes of time on bike.
David Lindquist