(Some of) the best days of 2007.

At the risk of alienating my persevering wife, I make the following claims. My kids aren't old enough to be offended, so they'll have to read this entry in ten years and feel insulted long after the fact.

About the most fun I've had this year was driving around the country with my Cannondale as my co-pilot. The Cooper S, with 29K miles, is not yet a year-and-a-half. It has crossed the rockies twice, been stuck in New York snow, and driven streets in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Manhattan. The S has seen over a thousand unique miles of I-70 and over two thousand of I-80. It loves the road trip. I love the road trip. And it's so much cheaper than a therapist.



The Cannondale fits inside the car. Yup, inside. With the front wheel off, it covers both rear seats and the handlebars hook the passenger seat, which means that if the Cannondale hitches a ride, then no one else can come. It's a good listener, a good traveler, and doesn't ever complain about where we go to eat. My aim most days was to split up a thousand miles of driving with an hour of cycling somewhere along the interstate. The location was usually selected randomly based on the weather conditions and just how interesting the hills looked. (The GPS typically provides the exact route once I pull off the freeway.)



If it didn't make things harder on the fam, I'd figure out a way to do a road trip every month. Days on the open road are really good days.

Southern fall

Although I grew up in the west, I've long been fascinated by the east coast, particularly for its abundant trees. I do love the trees. For the past several years, I look forward to driving and/or cycling aimlessly while the trees change.



In the south, it is not just the hills that change marvelous colors. No, every canopy-covered road along my daily 15-minute commute becomes a study in relaxation and wonderment. And even trees that stand alone are intoxicating.