{"id":87,"date":"2008-08-26T20:08:58","date_gmt":"2008-08-27T04:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=87"},"modified":"2010-07-16T15:29:42","modified_gmt":"2010-07-16T23:29:42","slug":"all-hail-high-gas-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainbikebill.com\/blog\/?p=87","title":{"rendered":"All Hail High Gas Prices!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Or maybe it is “Awh HELL, High Gas Prices<\/strong>!”<\/p>\n

Today I went to work a little later than I normally do, so the\u00a0commute traffic was quite different.\u00a0 There were a lot more people on the road in their mad-dash to go see “The Man” for eight hours or so.\u00a0 There were typical half dead types like myself swilling coffee and most likely cranking some jams in a effort to jumpstart their melon out of a sleep-deprived coma.\u00a0\u00a0 Geez, there were way too many\u00a0chatterbox girls yapping on\u00a0their phones.\u00a0\u00a0 I think the\u00a0new law in California\u00a0requiring the use of hands-free devices while driving is a good idea for most part.\u00a0 EXCEPT for these ladies as \u00a0now they get to talk with\u00a0BOTH <\/strong>of their hands while driving instead of just one.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the more exuberant chatterheads looked like she was being attacked by a swarm of angry bees.\u00a0 I felt sorry for the poor\u00a0bastard on the other end of that call.\u00a0\u00a0 I would like to say she should\u00a0have no more than six months to a year to live with driving like that, but stupidity always seems to find a way to survive.\u00a0 She will probably live to be 105.<\/p>\n

Enough of stupid ladies on the road.\u00a0\u00a0Driving through\u00a0my hood, there were a bunch of bikes on the road today.\u00a0 Full roadie-kit guys, hybrids commuter setups, fixies, and even some Wallyworld Specials.\u00a0 I saw at least four old-school 10-speeds with downtube shifters and suicide brake levers that were just killer.\u00a0 I could not help but think these rigs had spent quite a few years hibernating\u00a0 hanging upside down from garage rafters gathering dust.\u00a0\u00a0 My guess is\u00a0spring\u00a0arrived for these wintering steelies when gas hit around $3.50 a gallon.\u00a0\u00a0If you were a bike how cool it would be to get a new lease on life.\u00a0\u00a0I grabbed\u00a0quick looks at the riders of these reborn rigs as I went by\u00a0and they were not the types that strike you as a vintage bike connoisseurs.\u00a0\u00a0 No, these were average folks on their way to work, school or wherever they had to be.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Bicycles as your basic form of transportation in the US,\u00a0 now there is a green concept.\u00a0 At this rate maybe $6.00 a gallon will be the cure for\u00a0the nation’s obesity problem.<\/p>\n

By far\u00a0the coolest\u00a0bike\u00a0thing I saw today\u00a0is a story that is\u00a0over a half a year in the making.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A little over six months ago, I\u00a0first noticed\u00a0“Melrose Ave Lady”.\u00a0 She\u00a0looked to be in\u00a0her early to mid\u00a030’s and when I first saw her she\u00a0really looked to be\u00a0new to cycling and\u00a0a fitness lifestyle in general.\u00a0\u00a0At first I\u00a0lifted an\u00a0eyebrow\u00a0and pulled my head back as I was positive some federal or state laws governing the use of spandex were being broken.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After\u00a0snickering\u00a0just a bit, I thought “Good for her, I hope she sticks to it.”\u00a0\u00a0 Over the next few months, I would pass Melrose Ave Lady just about daily.\u00a0 She was sticking to it and\u00a0she did not seem to be laboring on the climbs like she had in the past.\u00a0 A few months ago, my schedule changed and I stopped being on\u00a0the road the same time as Melrose Ave Lady.\u00a0 Just last week, while driving down this road I wondered how she was doing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0For\u00a0those of you\u00a0that have kids in your life, you know well that you\u00a0tend not to\u00a0notice the growth that occurs in the ones you see everyday.\u00a0 However when your nieces or nephews\u00a0come over you are\u00a0generally shocked by their growth.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Such was the\u00a0case today when I saw Melrose Ave Lady.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0WOW!!!!!<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was absolutely amazed\u00a0at the transformation this lady had done to her body.\u00a0 Lord\u00a0knows how many pounds she lost.\u00a0 She was toned and tanned\u00a0and could easily be 20 something.\u00a0 She also\u00a0cruised up the hill like it was a flat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Melrose Ave Hottie<\/strong>, who ever you are, you\u00a0have been totally inspiring to watch\u00a0and I am so proud of the commitment you have put into your new lifestyle.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hundreds of cars have passed you everyday and I am sure I am not the only person to have\u00a0followed your progress.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It would not be surprised if\u00a0some of those additional bikes on the road today are a result of the inspiration you gave on Melrose Ave.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

I think I’ll check the tires\u00a0on my\u00a0commuter bike.<\/p>\n

More Stuff Like This<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t A Chance to Give Back!<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Shaking off some jet lag<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Mountain Elden Playtime<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Comfort Dirt at Sycamore Canyon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/div>