Friday, May 20, 2016

A Letter To The Bodfish, Expedition Leader

Dear Mr. Bodfish,  
       My wife tells me that you took her on a week long bicycle tour in 1978. She says it's still the best vacation/ outing she's ever been on. I'm trying to recapture some of the details here. (As you can imagine, I was starting to worry...  husband retracing events of the ancient past). You and her, (We were not alone, there were at least twelve others with us), rode for six days mostly on dirt.        
        You bathed mostly in cold streams but, managed to camp two nights at hot springs resorts. My wife is no geographer, she remembers that there were sixteen in your party, (Whew!) and that you all got naked, a lot...(Whoops) but, she can't remember what roads or even counties you visited. We know that the entire week of riding took place within a two hundred mile radius of Chico, Ca.
        I'd like her to revisit this "Greatest Outing" as much as possible. I'm not inviting you to come along but, I would like you to indicate the route on this map that I've enclosed and please send along any current hot springs resort information that you have.   Sincerely, Rich W.

Rich, 
        Whoa! I'm not invited to come along? We were young, carefree and on skinny tires. Rich, This experience cannot be re-created. I remember now...twelve women and four men wandering the Mendocino, Trinity and Six Rivers National Forest, with sleeping bags, simple tents and a single change of clothes, which often had to be rinsed in cool creeks. I realized at the time what an exceptional journey we were on and that it was not repeatable. Those were the days...just take her to these suggested hot springs and relax as much as possible.....Bon Voyage, Bodfish

Friday, May 6, 2016

Two Women Passing The Bicycle Shop

         It's waaay too easy to get into trouble these days. A pair of overlarge women were walking by the bicycle shop just as I was rolling the fleet in for the day (A ritual that I have performed for over 22 years), Both were smoking and trying real hard not to look at me or my colorful array of cycles....          Here's where I possibly went wrong, I dared say, "Afternoon ladies, looks like it's going to rain." The shorter one snapped, "We are not into bicycles!" I answered, "I knew that." There was a slight pause before she hollered, "What did you mean by that?"           Rude comebacks flashed through my head but, I calmly explained, "Usually people who are into bicycles aren't smoking and they look at a row of beautiful bikes." (Instead of, "You don't look like bicyclists"...or, "you look more like coal powered oil tankers than cyclists.") No,  I was pleasant ..."No offense intended." I cowered...."We will never come into your store." she finished. Awww geez......what's a merchant to do?