Bonnie's Commute to Work

Bonnie’s friend Lisel talked her into commuting by bike to work this week. Wednesday Bill prepped Bianca Bike to travel the streets once again as she had been sleeping since April when she last commuted to work. Panniers were readied, chain was lubed and tires were pumped.
The meet time was set for 6:00 am and Bonnie & Lisel would commute to the route start at 92nd & Flavel. The bikes were loaded; Bill waved and gave words of wisdom as “The Girls” headed off on their adventure.
The day was a typical November day, rain, sprinkles and a bit more rain, but a few rain drops wouldn’t stop those Girls from achieving their goal. About four blocks from the car Bonnie realized that she didn’t have her glasses on and as a result the street signs weren’t too easy to read, so Lisel became the eyes of the team and Bonnie the navigator as there were many side streets to travel. The trip went very smoothly despite the rain; there were no incidences and no wrong turns. They arrived in NW Portland about coffee time so decided to stop at Sydney’s, a local favorite, to have a warm drink warding off the chill of the cool Oregon rain.
After work we decided to try a different route home and took the East Bank Esplanade to the Springwater Trail. Bonnie had thought on the morning ride that perhaps Lisel rode faster than she did but with so many turns it was hard. There was no question on the return trip Lisel was FAST like a little gazelle and Bonnie worked hard to keep up the pace. Oaks Bottom was a test of endurance with its flat straight path that went on for MILES…..Lisel lead the way setting the pace. Unfortunately the speedometer wasn’t working but if it had, Bonnie was sure it would have displayed 25 mph or greater.
The afternoon ride had sprinkles and rain and sprinkles again. There were a few rather isolated spots where Bonnie was a bit concerned but as Lisel explained, she had been a parole officer when she got out of college and was giving Bonnie some tips on self defense. Bonnie listened and listened and with each little tip decided it was best if she pedaled faster and faster! They arrived back at the car without mishap, no flats, no need to try out the self defense tips and at the end of the 24 miles it was a satisfying accomplishment. After parting ways Bonnie relayed the details of the trip to Bill, excitement at accomplishing the goal and exhilarated by the exercise…..later that evening as Bonnie’s head started bobbing from exhaustion, she told Bill that she felt like she had been riding hard with someone 20 years younger……to which he replied yes you did as she fell sound asleep.