Roxanne

There are few inanimate objects that I can truly say I have come to feel have a personality of their own. In fact, there may only really be one. Her name is Roxanne.

Last summer, I rode my bicycle from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska with a group of students from UT Austin to raise money for cancer research. There's a ton to be said about that at another time, perhaps. I do wish I had known about Blip then - I kept a photo blog over the summer at my own site, but it would've been amazing to have Blip, too, for quick updates over the trip.

Anyway, this was our team bike for the ride. Roxanne and I have been over 7000 miles together, through training and the ride itself. She means more to me than I can articulate, and I know her so well it can be eerie at times.

Today, the weather was so nice, I thought I'd ride to work. This is her propped up outside the rehearsal room.

3 Things To Spot on Roxanne in This Photo:

1. Red Handlebar Tape - All the team bikes came with black tape, but I switched Roxanne's almost immediately. This tape is her third set of red bar tape - I put it on in Vancouver. Canadian tape!

2. Clinton, BC Beef in A Bun Pin - From the wonderful people who put us up in Clinton, British Columbia. This pin makes me laugh every time I look at it.

3. Bike Bandana - When we left for Alaska, my grandmother gave me and my best friend matching bicycle bandanas. Leah ended up not being able to go on the ride (medical school) but I always thought of her when I saw my grimy bandana on my bike. Hasn't left the bike since (except for a couple of washes...).

Oh, and she's named after quite a famous song - I'm sure you can guess which.

And speaking of Leah - her boyfriend and my good friend Brian is who turned me on to Blipfoto. See his awesome shots in Fort Worth here.

Additionally, Brian points out that I should have hotlinked to my blog from the trip - it's still in the process of being updated, but you can read about it here: See America Right