Salty Lemons

May 17, 2011

Animals

A day of biking became a day of animal sightings, in all forms. The Swede and I were planning to ride from the Astoria section of Queens to Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan. However, the plan was to bike from our apartment to the Queensboro Plaza subway station, take the subway into Manhattan, get off near Central Park, bike over to the West Side Highway, and then up to Fort Tryon by riding along the bike path that follows the Hudson River.

On our way, we stopped at our garden plot and then had a quick lunch. During lunch, The Swede casually mentioned we had the option to bike over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan instead of taking the subway. He has biked the bridge many times, and has repeatedly mentioned the long incline. So naturally, I was caught off guard by the suggestion. I asked, "Do you think I can do it, I mean bike it, not walk it?" I quickly processed what that meant for my thighs, calves, ego, and realized that it would be an experience. And if that was meant to be a painful one, well--okay.

I decided that I would will myself to bike it, even if that meant changing the gear to one, (which I did at times...) and that I would not care if people walked faster than I biked. The Swede, being the supportive type tried to encourage me with words and a tone that is usually reserved for women during labor. My response to him was, "Stop talking to me, I'm in a zone." I am happy to report that I made it, without walking or stopping. It felt great to reach the peak and look down 130 feet, truly an accomplishment for me. Once in Manhattan, we decided to bike around the loop in Central Park instead of going to Fort Tryon, since it was getting late in the day and the threat of rain loomed.

The theme of physical endurance continued, Central Park is quite hilly. The northern end of the park has a fairly brutal section that has steep downward curves that lead you directly into an uphill battle. I would compare it to driving through "The Grapevine." (For all you Southern Californians, you know what I mean.)

Animals kept popping up, in all forms, as I previously stated. A few that particularly stand out are (1) a curious raccoon that ventured out of a tree to look for something to eat and then a park ranger arrived to usher it back up the tree (2) a couple masked as a chimp and a tiger taking a picture of themselves on their iPhone and (3) a bird that built a nest in between the green and yellow signals of a traffic light. In total, we biked 20 miles/32 kilometers, and my body felt it. I could could barely walk and hardly sit for the rest of the night, but I cannot wait to do it again.

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