Winter came before fall was over here and it's been snow, wind, ice, and biting cold ever since. So I haven't been on a bike in months now. But others have; I see them at dawn with their day-glow jackets and blinking lights. Sometimes only their eyes are visible. I see them appear magically from behind white mountains in Minneapolis.
I feel envious. I feel inadequate as a biker and a blogger. I should be out there on my bike with specially studded tires, wearing my best winter gear. I see their tire tracks in the snow and wonder about what might be if I only had the courage. But like most folks I don't go out on two wheels. I hunker down in the warm kitchen or the heated seat of my car and look out on the world on the other side of the glass.
I know there must be adventure out on those mountains. The landscape has been transformed completely; familiar neighborhood spots are now mysterious and alluring. New microenvironments have formed. New landforms are emerging. Light emanates from hidden recesses, behind edges of things that can't be defined as edges or things really, just white, glinting masses. This is a new world that calls out for pioneers and explorers.
What else might I find if I was able to summon the courage; what might I find on the top of one of those mountains, what else besides a trash can or a shopping cart or a tiger?
