Jet Powered Bike

At low tide I tried for the first time ever to ride my bicycle on the beach. I am slow, but I had fun zipping over the hard wet sand with Harley riding in the basket up front. Several times I had to stop and rest, then get going again.

I am pushing myself day after day, trying to prove all the doctors wrong, wrong, wrong.

Eventually I got to going so fast that Harley's dog ears both stood up to attention with the aid of the wind.  It was funny because Harley is famous for his one ear up, one ear down goofy look. I was in high gear thinking this was the greatest adventure on earth.

At the far end of the beach, the man I passed sitting in a beach chair said "There goes that jet powered bike!"

I thought he was poking fun at my slowness or my age but I didn't care. I was having fun. This is something I have never done before and it felt quite thrilling in a childlike way. I felt like a big kid too, riding my shiny red bike with my puppy in a basket, my long hair blowing itself into knots. Could life get any better at all?

Later I turned around, riding past the same man again. I tried to put on some speed so I wouldn't attract anymore strange comments. As I huffed and puffed my way past him, I could hear him though.

He said "There goes that rocket powered bicycle!"  I just laughed and kept riding even faster, but then I suddenly had to stop not far down the beach. I was having problems. I had gone too far too fast and I was suddenly extremely weak. So weak, I needed to stop and rest before I fainted.

Oops.

I stood there motionless, intensely meditating for more energy while Harley looked at me from his handlebar basket quite quizzically. Eventually I decided to put him on his leash so he could feel the sand in his toes. Now I could park the bike and just stand there looking foolish until the fainting sensation passed.

When I felt better, I decided to walk Harley dog. I was grateful to be alive, to be on my bike, to be with a silly dog, to be spared one more time. Life is good. I may not own a car, but I have a bicycle thanks to angels.  I keep trying to improve my stamina with the bike. Not sure I am succeeding, but I keep trying. If anything, I apparently provide comical entertainment for bystanders.

I took this picture of the bicycle parked on the beach because I wanted to remember this fabulous day forever.

After I took a few snaps with my camera, I walked Harley around. Meanwhile the man had folded up his chair and was walking down the beach towards us. He passed by and said "Oh my gosh. I thought you had some sort of special bike that was powered with jet fuel or something."

I thought to myself, what is this guy talking about?

And what is this dude smoking?

Must be good chit!  His imagination is wilder than mine.

He laughed and pointed to the rear of my bicycle. "That's not a jet powered bike!"

Um... ya think not?

But I kept my mouth shut. I just grinned like the fool I am while I tried to figure out what was going on in his funny mind.

It wasn't jet fuel, or a special rocket bike at all. It was my water bottle and a can of mosquito spray attached to the rear cargo carrier with a small bungee cord.

But to one beach goer, he saw a fanciful jet powered bicycle fly by his view.

Imagine that.