Day who knows Charleston, SC

We have now biked to the big bridge twice. It is 12 miles round trip along the water and through downtown. I am used to the East Coast Greenway in Mansfield/Coventry/Bolton, CT which is entirely different. There we ride through the woods on dirt paths sweeping through old train railways.  We see old telegraph posts, creaks and waterfalls, and the occasional deer.  Here the ocean is on one side and old beautiful renovated homes on the other and lots and lots of traffic.

I am learning to appreciate the city as living small requires you to shop more frequently because you don’t have the space to keep any extra. You have access to endless restaurants, you can bike to the park, the grocer, or the local coffee shop. We went to the gym last night and Carrie was alarmed at the 20 minute drive but for me that was normal.  Even living on a busy road back home, nothing I need is closer than a 10 minutes drive. I am okay with that living in my home, but it would be hard to manage it here living small.  Too many trips.

After 5 wks on the boat with limited movement our bodies ache from a few days of adding exercise back in. It amazes me how fast we lose muscle when it takes so long to build it up. However, building it up is what we have to do if we want to enjoy our independent and fun filled lives. We need more muscle than ever to do tasks on the boat that I never dreamed of having to do only a couple years ago.

When I was younger I ran a 17 mile race through the woods in Texas without any training or thought. I didn't do well, but I finished. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had gone out drinking the night before. Not only that, but on mile 3 I was stung in the bum by an angry wasp whose nest was disturbed by a runner who passed before me. By the time I was done I had lopsided cheeks and had to drive while sitting side saddle.

Another time, Carrie and I mountain biked with friends through the Sedona, Arizona pink jeep trails. It was incredibly treacherous terrain, jumping gorges and steering down steep embankments. I doubt we gave the danger we were putting ourselves in a second thought. Not even after I fell into a prickly pear cactus and had to have a friend drive us home because my hand and leg were too swollen. We just laughed and iced with cold beer.

Now a days we are more cautious. Sprains and strains are no longer treated with ice cold beer. We are more aware of our mortality and how easily we break, but we also know the dangers of not moving our bodies. So although we are aware of the pain a wipe out would cause, we ride anyway.