Hey, Just Ride 116: Rollin’ On

I like to think I glide through life like an Eagle soaring on thermals when reality mostly resembles a plastic bag on a windy backwoods highway.

I don’t see what’s coming and going a few miles or weeks ahead with keen Eagle eyes. I get tossed to and fro by logging trucks and RVs, drenched by rain and probably end up strung out on some 100-year-old barbed wire.

My wife serves as my safety net for the most part, saving me from my most harmful decisions or lack thereof.

With Pepper? My wife deferred.

Wiping up Pepper’s puppy pee on the floor I’m saddled with at least a pinch of remorse wondering: What the hell was I thinking?

Hiking through the woods chuckling at Pepper and Summer frolicking like childhood buddies my “joy of the simple moments in life” cup runneth over.

It all happened so fast, like that plastic bag sticking to the front bumper of a Jeep and getting zoomed off to lands unknown.

I can’t remember what I was looking for, if anything, that particular day, or if I was just whittling away the boring morning because I already read my column that just published and I’ve sworn off Social Media, so I’ve got gobs of free time.

Like those insurance commercials, I long ago became my parents. This new ritual of mine all began with boredom and, of course, craigslist.

With limited funds thanks to being sentenced to only part-time work, I can only look at bike listings when I’m in desperate need — if it’s a ride or no ride at all proposition — or if I find that 30-year-old gem for an insane bargain price to match the two such Cannondales I already have in my garage.

Musical instrument listings are much the same. With two guitars and two saxophones, I’m set for life, although I have to fight the burning desire to score a banjo or accordion, just cause it’d be fun to pull out every now and then and teach myself another instrument to play with my aforementioned gobs of free time.

In any event, one day I jumped down the “Free” listings rabbit hole and I’m unable to escape.

Don’t get me wrong! I’ve landed key acquisitions from that list, least of which are:
The pristine dog kennel that Summer rides in the back if my truck
The two pickup loads of river rock that pave my side walkway
The circular saw I’ll use next time I have to saw something so I don’t have to use my antique hand saw handed down by my Dad that never cuts anything in a straight line
The Redwood stumps that, well, who knows what they’ll end up being when I eventually score a free chainsaw and take up chainsaw art until I lose a digit or more

Point is, the Free listings make any morning feel like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one. The anticipation of adventure drips with each scroll.

Undaunted by yet another free piano listing — seriously, you could fill a barn with free pianos on craigslist, and if ever a barn does appear on the Free list I intend to do just that — Pepper’s face popped up slinging an arrow straight to my heart.

The ad read:

“Yes, actually free — need to be gone today or tomorrow

8 1/2 week old border collie puppy that unfortunately I need to rehome. She comes with a brand new kennel, food bowl, black harness and an almost full bag of quality food … she’s very sweet and very smart but unfortunately my older dog in the home has become aggressive with her unexpectedly and I do not have the space to keep them apart.”

There she was, her paws folded, looking right at me. Challenging me to be her knight in shining armor!

Oh, I’ve seen plenty of animals offered for free, from chickens to goats to kittens to a donkey to a llama to tropical fish, lizards and gerbils. And lots of puppies before and since.

This one? Damn!

Forget the logistics of a second dog. I’ll figure that out later. This was a done deal the moment I saw her. That she had to be gone today or tomorrow tripled my sense of urgency to save her.

My wife sauntered into my office to say goodbye and go to work. I said, “Look at this!”

My wife looked. She read. She shook her head.

“Really?” was all she said.

I’m gonna check it out, I said, preferring to keep it short and sweet. Honestly, I doubt I could have put into words what raced through my mind. This puppy needs me. Not just anyone, she needs me. The clock is ticking. She needs me now. I don’t know why or how, but she needs me.

I suppose if I had been working that morning, substitute teaching some kids, I would have never known the coulda, woulda, shoulda opportunity that slipped past me. Instead I found myself driving an hour to the coast to meet with whomever needed to sever ties with this puppy.

We met at a park. First things first. Does this puppy even connect with me? Her name was Pretzel. She responded when I called her. She nuzzled. She played in my lap sitting in the grass.

My first dog in my life, when I was two, was named Peanuts. Peanuts, Pretzel, something felt right. OK, maybe I was just thirsty for a beer. Who knows? It was nearly noon.

Summer appeared to be fine with this crazy puppy jumping around her.

And hey, this is not just a free puppy! Look at all the other free stuff that comes with her! A free-for-all!!

We packed the free stuff in the truck, and I let Summer and Pretzel run around along the shore of the lake.

I took some photos and sent them to my wife and daughters. Their only response? Pretzel would have to go as a name. No way.

We drove to the beach, and Summer and the puppy formerly known as Pretzel went crazy, playing and chasing each other like long lost soulmates.

I sent some video. My wife responded with a name: Pepper.

Yep, it stuck. Pepper it is.

We can’t carry any cargo in the backseat of our new pickup, now that two dogs stake claim to it. They wrestle so loudly we can’t hear the TV, although they are always more entertaining to watch than what’s on — aside from our beloved Green Bay Packers.

For me, life is all about flexibility, adaptability and balance.

This all began the last week of October. With a puppy in tow, my bike sits idle in the garage. Haven’t ridden it since. We go for a 1-2 hour hike 2-3 times a week. Just as Pepper appears to have hit the age (six months) when I can take her on the trail, the snow finally fell and those trails won’t be available for my bike for a few more weeks, maybe longer.

Even before stowing my bike away, I pretty much had to dig deep into the archives and memories to keep writing something once a week for TCI. After 115 columns, well, it just feels like it’s time to ride off into the sunset.

It’s not just the Pepper layoff. As I mentioned, I swore off Social Media. That began almost a year ago. I don’t miss keeping up to date with so many people. I pretty sure they don’t miss me, either. It feels like a burden has been lifted.

The strange thing is, the more free time I have, the more precious it has become for me. You might think it would be the other way around. It probably is for most people.

But I’ve always fought back when someone says “Life’s too short,” and you have to take advantage of every moment — fill it with something. I believe life is looong, and with so much time on my hands, well, I want to savor moments and time, not cram them full of something just to feel like I’m not wasting it away.

Same with writing this column. I never want to feel like I’m just writing to fill space. I only want to write when I feel as though I have something I really want to share that might pique your interest.

When I’m on a ride and my mind wanders back through my life and its interaction with bikes, of course, many of my own rides come to mind.

But honestly, most of the time I drift back to my days actually covering cycling and bike racing. Diving so deep into it that major current events came and went, off my radar. Those years recalled by cycling events that never made it on the nightly news.

What I remember most are the amazing people who raced their bikes and shared their victories and defeats with me, as well as other aspects of their lives. We shared a passion to be the best at what we did. They ride, I write. Most of us never got rich doing that, at least not our bank accounts.

Our souls were enriched beyond measure.

I suppose I could blame Pepper, but I’m never fan of regret. I have, however, warned my wife to offset any future problems of free animals appearing on craigslist.

She could have derailed this new adventure with nine simple words: That’s twice as much dog poop to pick up!

Ah, maybe not.

Time to ride?

Naw, got poop to pick up.

See ya down the road