Yellow bikes all in a row

I live in the Old Town neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque has done a tremendous job with bike trails and awareness in the past years, although much work remains of course. The road adjacent to my home is a city-designated “bike boulevard.” Although the signage is poor, and there are no lane markings, there is heavy bike use on this old narrow stretch of Mountain Road, first used by loggers to move material to the saw mills in the area. The Old Town area and the Saw Mill District are both committed to historic preservation, pedestrian friendly development and zoning, and to the increase in options for bikers to travel safely through and around the area and town. To my delight, the old building directly across the street from my home was renovated last year. We were very curious about the tenants who would occupy the store facing our front yard. One day through the window we saw a row of brightly-painted yellow beach-comber type bicycles with red and yellow wheels.  The shop, Routes, rents bikes out for the hour, half-day, or whole day, has a tidy and very cool little gift shop, rents snow shoes in the winter, and offers bike repair and maintenance. My old yellow beach comber has been in for a lot of TLC. The best part of the business, aside from the fantastic couple who runs the shop, is watching people head off on their biking adventures. Big and little, on the tandem bike or pulled behind in a biking wagon, the joy on the faces of everyone is brilliant. This daily observance makes me confident that we can envision and create a more sane and delightful way to build our communities, our bodies, our relationships with our environment and friends and families, and our sense of delight.

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