spring, dare we err?

Just 100 yards from the Eisenhower is a world that the vast majority of the single person per car commuters never even think about-- except in their worst nightmares. Heaven forbid they might have to exit the safety of I290 and enter the adjacent neighborhoods. Its the "west side", after all. The sentinels along the way were all there to greet us this morning as three of us rode into the rising sun. The newspaper sellers, the couple at Laramie and Harrison always sitting by their burning barrel, who often yells to me "where every body at?" We next encountered the mellifluous one on Kostner as Harrison dives south of I290, who always yells "ice-screammmmm" even though Bob is not with us to ring his bell. Next we see the vendor on "da boulevards" a more taciturn fellow who waves to us and only occasionally has something to say. Finally we saw the most mobile of the newspaper sellers, now usually positioned in the middle of Sacramento, just south of I290--he always has something to say. I've seen him at Laramie and also in Oak Park on a bicycle. As I rode by him once I asked if he lived in Oak Park and he said "nooooooooooooo" which meant-- as if! While I have now returned to the daily commute, these hardy souls have remained at their stations through the whole winter, arriving to work at 3 AM and making pennies per paper. What a life. The homeless folks at the shelter on Harrison just east of California are equally hardy, but not working-- just surviving. In the few rides I had in January and February, their numbers had dwindled to less than 10-- always the same ones. Now as the weather warms there are 20 or more, and many of them very familiar figures to me. One guy yelled to Cliff on Wednesday-- "hey, we haven't seen you for three months!" Which of course meant that they haven't gone anywhere to winter over. Kind it may not be, but I think of these folks as feral humans-- once tame, now wild. Living on the streets of Chicago through the winter requires the skills and instincts of a wild animal, and by that I mean no disrespect.

I rode to work all four days I came in this week-- and it was wonderful. I feel in near mid-season shape already. The spin sessions on my trainer at home, riding in place while looking out at the falling snow have paid off. I didn't do much else though this week. I am working my way back up. An hour a day on the bike has taken its toll, and takes some getting used to. But today I managed to also get a good 30 minutes on the AMT while reading a grant I had to review. The temperature is not an issue with the ride and the road is clear. The most significant feature of riding in March is the wind! Tuesday and Thursday I rode home into 30 + mph head winds. Who needs hills, we have Da Hawk. Today the winds were from the west in the morning, blowing the lake chill east of here and speeding us along the way. Now the winds have shifted and the temperature is easing back down from the mid-50s. This will be to our advantage as we head home, riding back to Oak Paradise.