You shall be named...

Thursday afternoon I picked up Erwin. He is a BEAUT!!! So I decided my first ride would be on Friday evening. Since everyone already had plans, I decided to go by myself and get a little bonding in with my newest addition to my “wheel family”.

Once home from work on Friday I suited up, and went to switch me pedals from Cupcake over to Erwin. Cupcake was NOT happy! I got her first pedal off fine, but the right pedal (my dominant foot) would NOT budge. I tried over and over, but couldn’t loosen it. Eventually I gave up and ended going on my ride with my left foot clipped in and my right foot in the toe cage (not fun).

I knew there was a trail in Ballston but couldn’t remember which one it was (Custis Trail) so I headed through Arlington to hop on it. About a block from my place, my IPOD died and I wasn’t too happy. Once on the trail, I followed it around (passing the 5k race I was supposed to do) a few miles – past a MILLION parks! Once I stopped for a water break/leg stretch I took a few pix of the new bike and then headed back the way I came.

Once I got to where I was supposed to turn to stay on the trail and head home, I decided I was NOT done bonding with Sir Erwin. So I continued on (it turned into the W&OD trail) and I rode along the quiet path. There were a few runners, and a few bikers, and it was AMAZINGLY peaceful. I didn’t mind that my IPOD had died and I was just out “being one with nature” – well, as “one” as you could get while riding a bike on a bike path.

During my bonding, I needed to figure out what to call my new set of wheels. My thinking went something like this:

Let’s see, he def needs a manly name since he’s a cyclocross bike. Something like HANS that makes you think of a super muscle meathead. The frame is made of steel…BLUE STEEL! But there’s no blue. Red Steel? Nah, that’s weird. Ginger (since I want to rewrap the bars in red) YUCK! I am NOT having a “Ginger” bike! Red Stallion? That’s reminds me of that creepy guy from Longwood Freshman year...DEF not. BLACK STALLION!!!! Done! He’s a black frame, and stallions are manly and can move fast! DONE AND DONE.

Erwin, my Black Stallion. It’s a pleasure to have you in my life.

Anyways, back to the ride. So after I was on the W&OD trail for a few miles (passed some people too, woo hoo) the trail dumped onto Columbia Pike (Barcroft) so I decided since it was after 8pm (and roomster was cooking dinner) I would go ahead and ride Columbia Pike the rest of the way home. So I turned into the direction I thought was east (towards home) and started on Black Stallion once again. I rode a few blocks and thought “I hope this is the right way” as with Columbia Pike being super hilly, I didn’t want to ride a while in the wrong direction. So I saw a man walking on the sidewalk and decided to stop and ask him which way to the city.

Me: Excuse me, is the city that way? (pointing)

Spanish looking Man: What?

Me: Is the district in that direction? (pointing)

Spanish looking Man: Confused look

Me: La ciudad….esta direccion (pointing) o esta dirrecion (pointing)? Luckily I remembered that much from Spanish class.

Spanish looking Man: I understand English.

Me: Oh, um. Well, which way is East? To the city?

Spanish looking Man: Confused look again. DC is that way (pointing to the direction I was already going) and that way (pointing in other direction) is not DC.

Me: OK. So DC is THAT way?

Spanish looking Man: Yes.

Me: Ok thanks.

WTF?!?!?!?!!?!?!

So I jumped back on Black Stallion and finished my ride, NOT stopping to ask anyone else anything.

- apes -