Zen and the Art of Speedskating

Despite my east coast roots, I love the mountain west for many reasons. I’m very happy my wife & I are settling here.

One of the reasons is the mountains themselves. They are metaphors for experience & actualities, daring you to climb them; or even just to glance up from a morning commute & appreciate something beautiful.

Climbing Emigration canyon on my bicycle a few days ago, I came across this sign near some construction; Hey, the road crews care about cyclists!

Actually, quite a few riders have been killed recently in Utah, in canyons & elsewhere. So this is a practical safety note.

Sometimes it’s careless drivers running the cyclists over, sometimes it’s the cyclists making mistakes & paying horrible consequences.

Either way, it reminds me of how the Sergeant of the Hill Street Blues police force used to end his morning briefing: “Hey, lets be careful out there!”.

This goes for both cyclists and the pilots of those 2,000+ lb chunks of gas-powered steel that constantly pass us.

As I was climbing the canyon, I thought I saw Chris Witty whipping down the roads in the opposite direction, a big grin on her face. The effort of the climb always brings the reward of the descent.

I will try to keep up the blogging, but the main mountains I am moving/climbing right now are these mountains of boxes.

Why is it that writers always have so many books & cats & general crapola?

We officially take possession of our new house this weekend! I am enlisting the help of many in the local skate tribe to help us move.

Speedskaters always need more back, core, & upper body cross training. This should be perfect.

Thanks to all who have written their congrats! Again, BIG party soon….

I finish this post with a picture I took some years ago on the top of Mt Wachusett, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts.

Speedskating & Cycling have always been part of the mountain for so many. Click on it for desktop friendly version.

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