2024 Sunday — Stirring Memories

Memories: Freedom on Two Wheels

I'm not sure if this was a Tuesday or a Wednesday afternoon, but I am sure it was late summer of 1984. When Mr. Fun & I arrived home from work, all we wanted to do was strip off our office clothes, don our Lycra bicycle shorts and hit the road. I don't remember a shred about that day's agenda or stress. I do remember that the temperature was triple digits. We checked-in with our two teenagers to learn if they were available to pick us up in a couple hours and tossed them the keys to our VW bus; then we rolled our tandem bicycle out of the garage, checked tire pressures, filled our water bottles, and we were rolling, or actually pedaling.

From our home, we had 10 city miles to get to the bicycle path that would lead us to the boardwalk at the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach, a total of 37 miles; this was a ride that we had completed as an all-day round-trip Saturday after Saturday outing for the past several months; a great way to burn any excess stress at the end of the week, but we did not have all day; so we couldn't pedal round trip.

We did have enough daylight to pedal one-way to the coast. We hoped we had enough energy. Ten miles later we reached the path and found no bicycle traffic. What we found was an unexpected tailwind. We didn't converse with one another; we just sensed that magic was in our wheels, and quite frankly in our pedals. Several portions of the trail are beautiful as the pavement weaved in and out of shade trees. The two of us naturally leaned into each curve; to the left and to the right. Our pedals were synchronized and at that moment so were our bodies.

If we were having a burst of enthusiasm, it was lasting unusually long. We were leaving the awful triple digit heat behind as well as any stress we had carried home from our day. Our bodies just felt in sync; we had rhythm. Our adrenaline was increasing and we were flying. Faster than we ever moved on Saturday mornings.

The freedom that afternoon on the bike path was intoxicating. We were out of touch (nobody could reach us) and we were untouchable. This was pre-cellphone days. Nobody but our two kids knew where we were. We were alone on the path, but we weren't lonely. When we rolled off the bike trail and onto the beach boardwalk we had made record time and beat all previous trips we had ever recorded. We had done it at the end of a workday and in terrible desert-like heat. We felt exhilarated. The freedom to be unconnected and to push that tandem bicycle as hard as we had ever pushed it, and to do it together, was a freedom and a victory that we have savored and are still enjoying this many decades later.

Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol
and Chloe & Mitzi too!
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January Prompt #7 Freedom