Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ridin' into the wind


In front of the Deschutes County Court House in Bend, Oregon, I spied this simply designed sculpture. It showed a cowboy twirling his lasso in order to rope bicycles. I thought how much I would have liked to have tied my road bike there and snapped a picture, but, as it was, I had driven my car to the spot. Having been an avid cyclist all my life, and someone who rides every week, I appreciate how much this area and the state promotes bicycling. Nonetheless, as more people cycle, the more difficult it becomes for riders and automobile drivers to share the space safely. I read with sadness that last weekend a Canadian woman, who was touring the Oregon Coast Highway, failed to "unclick" properly from her pedal at a traffic light, fell into a passing car and was crushed. It is dangerous out there, and yet, in spite of the challenges, most bicycle riders agree that it is worth having such a great freeing experience. Maybe, that metal cowboy knows that too. "Yup, like ridin' a horse."

9 comments:

Sylvia K said...

What a fun shot, Lee! And I just bet that's exactly what the metal cowbow would say! That is sad about the woman cyclist.

Enjoy!

Sylvia

tapirgal said...

Hey, a good photo and I love the line, "twirling his lasso in order to rope bicycles." Excellent! Yes, it's very sad about the bicyclist.

cieldequimper said...

Cool. So much better than the usual racks.

Small City Scenes said...

Very nice. I like the metal sculpture and of course I like cowboys. I am glad seeing that a lot of roads have bicycle lanes---now to get the cyclists to use them. I know why they don't because I used to ride my bike to work and back everyday. MB

Unseen Rajasthan said...

Fantastic and a nice shot !!Unseen Rajasthan

Raksha said...

My husband was also an avid cyclist, so this post really brings back memories...too many to even begin to get into here.

Also, the city of Redlands near where I live now is the home of the famous Redlands Bicycle Classic. It's the first and only bike race I ever attended, many years with my husband and kids, although I'm pretty sure it went by another name at the time. It goes without saying that Redlands is a very bicycle-friendly town, with bike racks (usually more than one) outside of every coffee shop.

B SQUARED said...

Cars and bikes don't mix. Wish planners allowed for bike usage.

Lowell said...

I like the sculpture - artful and yet, practical.

We ride, too, Lee, and it's dangerous on the roads. There's a six-mile wide-paved loop near us which is part of the Cross Florida Greenway and we often ride there because it's so much safer.

In and around Ocala, several bicyclists are killed every year...

Now, I could only figure out what is a "cohesive force." Oh, I think you meant "cohesive farce"! ;-)

It was a nice comment, and much appreciated, even if you were just kidding around.

Martha Z said...

Not only do they have a bike rack but they made it attractive. Our community has bike lanes on all busy roads but not all businesses have racks.