Inclines: Part 2

I rode all the way on my bike today.   NO getting off.  Ok - well I did get off the 2 times my water bottle dropped out of my bike shirt so I did have to get it.  (Don't have the water bottle or holder yet).  And then I stopped 1 time to get a fresh peach from a local farmstand.  I could have gotten more at the 3 other stands I passed on my route.  It was a great day to ride.  I'm not sure how far I went but it was in the 15 mile zone.  The best part for me today was that the 2 places I had to walk on Monday I didn't have to today.  Now, it could be because it was cooler, I took a different route or it was earlier in the day but regardless, I was able to ride up those babies and not fall over and not get out of the saddle.  (Although I wouldn't mind a different saddle...I like the big comfy ones...)  It took about an hour and a half.

The only negative to today's ride was something that sadly occurs on most rides.  The litter which is EVERYWHERE.  WHY do people feel it's ok to throw their debris out of their cars as they go on?  I mean - really?!!? You can't wait until you get to the next gas station or HOME to throw out your junk?  It is a thorn in my side.  Not that I agonize over this...other things yes, not this.  But 2 weeks ago I saw a little boy litter - right in front of his dad as they walked out of the dollar store and his dad didn't say word one to him.  I had T pick it up to throw out when she went to work.  I thought that perhaps dad would get the hint since it was pretty obvious that she was picking up the kid's mess.  Well, apparently it didn't phase him at all since I saw little boy drop the rest of the toy packaging in the parking lot as they walked to their car.  Now, I don't usually do things like this - at least not with strangers but I stopped my car, walked over to their car and knocked on the window.  I wasn't loud or violent - I just knocked on the window and said to dad, "your little boy dropped this" and pointed to the litter.  He opened the window and the little boy held out his hand.  I said "sorry hon, it isn't ok to litter" and then got back in my car.  I know it was risky, and it wasn't my intention to scare the kid but I get so fed up with people who litter as if the world was there own personal trash receptacle.  I think I may have written about this during C2C 2008 as I'm sure I saw quite a bit of litter but it still doesn't cease to amaze me.  Dad always said leave a place better than you find it...cleaner, more orderly, whatever was needed. This was reinforced at Camp Matollionequay where I spent 8 summers of my life and then the major reinforcement experience was via my drill sargeant at the Monmouth County Police Academy in Howell NJ.  We are all charged with the care and keeping of our world and if you see something out of place or that doesn't belong it behooves us (I love that word) to pick it up and throw it out. I always tell the kids that if they pick something up from off of the ground then they are responsible for it.  I don't push it when it comes to just seeing things otherwise all we would be doing is picking up litter but if you touch it, it's yours.

Well, it was a good ride and with another 15 miles under my belt, I'm on the way to making the goal of 1000 miles done before the trip next year.   A few miles at a time, I'll get there.  A few pieces of litter picked up and thrown away - it's that much better than it was 2 seconds before.