Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance

First Observation

7:30 a.m. I step out into the frigid air with but one thing on my mind, heading back to bed. Unfortunately, I have a class to be to, and the bed won’t be returned to until tonight, most likely rather late. I had already done my morning weather check by peaking through the front curtains and checking snow accumulation. Today, there was nothing new on top of the cars. Without too much thinking, I wonder around the corner of the house to where my bike awaits. I flip it around and head towards the street. As soon as I round the bend, I finally look up at the sky. It’s clear, that kind of clear that only happens after a good storm and all the muck we put in the sky is washed back out. The glow from the soon-to-rise sun is peaking over the Bear River range and the moon, in its sliced stage is glowing the brightest form of white.
Second Observation

I continue to pedal my way towards campus to the god-awful early class. My route takes me past the LDS temple and over the Boulevard. I like this because it sits me up on the edge of a bluff and I can look across the valley. Most days it’s nothing more than a dreary, depressing dark muck that you can’t see through, but not today. The sunrise has proceeded enough that the glow has gone from that deep blue to the rosy pink of morning. The entire valley is visible. I look back to the West and I can see the Wellsville range looming up from the ground. The steep sides are covered in pure white snow and the its porch is filled with last few days’ flakes. It is a scene of cleanliness.

Third Observation

I am heading back from campus, my class is finally over. I stop at a red light and wait to proceed through a left turn. I watch the oncoming traffic and surprising amount of cyclists out on the road. One in particular catches my eye. He is a long-haired guy I know I’ve seen somewhere. He is trucking through the right hand turn lane at a good pace following the car directly in front of him. Traffic is flowing the way it should. Another cyclist flies past him, going straight and clipping along with the automobiles. There is a car behind the first cyclist, driving really close. From my vantage point, I can see that there is only about a foot of space between the front bumper and the bike’s rear wheel. There is nothing that proves stupidity faster than a couple thousand pound vehicle tailgating a bicycle.

Fourth Observation

Once again I’m on the boulevard gazing towards the West. The sun has risen above the Bear Rivers and is spotlighting the Wellsville range with a strange intensity.The angle of the light makes every crack, cranny and crevice of the mountain stand out with detail. The trees that line the road are made black against there back drop. And just like before a scene of serene purity is placed in front of me.

Then of course I descend into the city and become surrounded by the dirty black snow that has been plowed off the roads…