First thing first, I'd like to thank all those who have already subscribed to my blog here, and I hope that this post was delivered to your inbox without issue.
And now let's get down to business.
To get to my church, one must take one of two entrances onto the road that leads to the building. The south side entrance is on Route 52, and the north is reached from Black Road. Coming from 52 puts you in the middle of a slightly more busy area, closer to the highway, but that's really its only downfall. The Black entrance however takes you through a construction equipment zone, on a gravel road with a good deal of nasty potholes. Because of this I always avoided the north entrance when I was driving my car — fearing I'd get a flat — but this past Sunday I decided to try it out with Larry. (Larry is my bicycle, very appropriately named after Larry the Cucummber.)
Going to church I realized that the road is considerably more enjoyable while on a bicycle than it is in a car, and the potholes are pretty easily avoided. Plus, there is just something exhilarating about riding on gravel when you're used to (for the most part) quite smooth pavement and blacktop. So I decided to take the same route home, and avoid the slightly sketchy left turn onto Route 52. Looking around and seeing lots of open space and sunshine to the side of the road, where trailers, trucks and equipment seem to be stored, I decided I wanted to turn in there and cruise around a bit. I decided a bit too late however, and never made it past the rocks standing guard at the edge of the site. My wheel caught some loose gravel, and down I went, both hands outstretched instinctively. I had on leather gloves, and walked away completely unscathed, though the right hood of Larry's handlebar is now bent inward a bit, and a small piece of plastic has broken off the back of my camera — which I will no longer be wearing while riding! If something happens to me, I'd rather my gear be okay.
So, all in all, it was a successful ride home. In fact I don't know that I've smiled that much since first buying the bike, and I can only chalk that up to God's allowing me to see the bright side of the incident. I dare say there will be times when I am less good-natured about my crashes, as I'm sure I'll have more, and worse than that one. But, so far as I have now experienced, wipeouts can actually be pretty fun.
— Joel