Jd2

Route 60 Short-Story Journals

March 7, 2004                The Shuttle

   Pauma Valley to Palomar -- “It's a girl my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me... Take it easy.” No better way to take it easy than to ride a recumbent. And they do slow down to take a look at you. One woman pulled along side me driving the car with one hand and taking my picture with the other. Men hail me down just to ask questions. “Did you make it? How much did it cost? Is it comfortable? Is it hard to ride?” "How many speeds?" Children flock around and want to ride it.
   A woman in Oceanside hollered out “How do you keep it up?” Many answers raced through my mind, but I let it be. Invariably, when I stop at a restaurant, someone has seen me on the road and strikes up a conversation. Riding a recumbent is a great way to meet people, and that’s what happened this morning.
   “Saw you riding that thing out on the highway, turning left just like a car.” Said a man standing at the table. An Indian fellow, dressed in blue jeans, white long-sleeved shirt and hat.
   “That’s the safest way to do it. I always try and turn left from the left turn lane. Just get out there, signal, and get it done.” I answered.
   He sat down for breakfast and I told my story.
   “You’ve got one hell of a climb in front of you.” He worried.
   “I know. Probably be pushing the thing up that mountain for the rest of the morning.”
   “Let me take you up. I’m making a delivery to the gift shop up there at the lodge.”
   This sounded good to me. I wasn’t looking forward to the hike up Palomar and I’m not in a contest to travel coast to coast without getting off my bike. So I accepted.
   Jack did crafts, mostly ironwork it appeared. He moved some iron wine-bottle racks aside and we hefted the recumbent onto the back of his flatbed Ford and were off.