In Which the Cool Sun Shines on my Birthday

Early sunshine on Boyson Trail on my birthday.

This morning, I had volunteered to watch a set of grandchildren to cover a gap between their mom leaving for training in Iowa City and their dad getting home from a night shift at work.

Which meant an early morning bike ride through the north end of Cedar Rapids, as well as Marion. I was a little worried, because some of the streets I would be on can get busy with commuting traffic—but it turns out all is pretty quiet at 6 a.m. It was semi dark when I went, and it was about 7:30 when I headed out to go to work.

Along the way, I rode on part of the Boyson Trail shortly after sunrise. It was my 59th birthday, and it was honestly not a bad way to spend it—getting to see grandkids in the morning, followed by a pretty, early bicycle ride.

This evening, my wife took me out to dinner. And I thought of a post-dinner bike ride, but it was getting a bit dark. And the bike I wanted us to ride is best used in the daylight, especially until we get used to it.

A tandem! And not just any tandem, a genuine, 40 something late 1970s panzer of a Schwinn tandem—heavy and tough and red and impractical and wonderful at the same time.

No photos yet, but sometime this weekend when we take it out for our first real team ride, I’ll try to post something.

It was, in short, a great biker birthday.