A Day of Not Knowing - The Ambassador
A simple enough challenge; hop on the mukluk and start pedaling. No maps. No route. No expectations. See what comes my way. While this was a day trip, I plan to use this same idea for several longer trips later this summer. The theme will expand to a single Porcelain Rocket Booster bag and a Porcelain Rocket Frame Bag and that is it. Carry what I can, go where I will, see what happens and what the universe reveals. I firmly believe that it is through letting go, unconditionally, that only then are we able to truly find ourselves.
The day began simple enough, some oats and peanut butter, a cup of coffee from the french press and a burst of emails and images to be edited. At mid morning, I had enough, and off I went on the Mukluk. Whenever I hop on that bike it just brings a grin to my face from ear to ear. Not only is it so enjoyable to ride, but it is truly the Ambassador of all bikes. I can go anywhere, and I do mean anywhere, and meet people that are interested in the bike. Shouts from street corners and cars crash down on my ears: "Hey where did you get that bike?"; "How Fat are those Tires?"; "How much does something like that cost?"; "Where can you ride with that?"... And so it goes.
Cars pull over to speak with me. The man at Starbucks anxiously waits for me to come outside so he and his girlfriend can take a look. The garbage truck driver yells out to me, all the while slowing down on a busy street, "Hey, you think that would hold me?". The implication is clear :-) A car pulls to a stop and two boys anxiously pick my brain about the bike and where to get it. A group of urban locals, huddled in one of the larger overhanging bus stops, hail me down and chat me up. All walks of life, young and old, black, white, hispanic, and asian -- all with the same smile on their faces and the same overwhelming curiosity.
It happens so frequently now, not only in the states, but across the world, that it is clear it is not me, but the bike. If you don't have one, you need to get one. If you get one, you will have more fun on the mukluk than on any other bike you have ever owned. You will have a smile from ear to ear and you will become one of the many new ambassadors spreading the word about the fattest bike in town.
Now, Go Ride