In Which Your Humble Correspondent Falls on the Ice

I don't mind ice and snow, really. I am tough and hearty and young, and laugh at danger and adversity, so things that cause me discomfort are useful for the reinforcement of my self image. To that end, I endeavored yesterday to ride my Xootr from New Haven to Milford. Not only did I endeavor, but I was, in fact, successful, and realized the feat in a suit, arriving to a morning meeting on time and looking dapper. Unfortunately, this otherwise perfect inauguration day sojourn was marred by the inconsiderate behavior of a motorist. I was next to said horseless-carriage operator at the corner of Bridgeport Avenue and Schoolhouse Road, waiting on a red light. The vehicle to my left, a gold-colored SUV of some sort, did not have its turn indicator light illuminated, leading me to believe that the operator's intention was to proceed straight in a westerly direction. In fact, when the light turned green, the operator executed a right turn across my path, causing me to apply my brakes with improvident force, which, in turn, resulted in my falling upon the ice, cursing extensively, and shaking my fist (really! just like in silent movies when something bad happens to someone hapless) at the oblivious driver.

What is the moral of this story? On the one hand, studded tires might have helped. On the other hand, when we blame the bicyclist for the failures of the motorist, the terrorists win. So I don't know that there is a moral, aside from that it is always a good idea to check your mirrors before turning your automobile, even when you are in the right lane on Route 1 at 8:00 a.m. on a day too cold for any sensible person to be astride his bicycle.

Also, bike tires going through a thin layer of light snow make a cool sound which reminds me of the sound my feet make in the firmly packed, semi-damp sand of certain Oregon beaches. If you have an opportunity to hear this sound, either by strolling along the Oregon coast or biking in light snow on a cold morning, I strongly recommend you take it. Just watch out for turning SUVs. (Below, thanks to the magic of MS Paint, I have created a handy illustration to help you understand the bike-tires-in-snow / bare-feet-in-sand similarity. I do this as a service to those of our readers who are visual learners, and also because I like blog posts better when they are accompanied by a photograph.)