To Ride, Perhaps to Ramble.

So, it came to me in a word. Ramble.

intr.v. ram·bled, ram·bling, ram·bles

1. To move about aimlessly. See Synonyms at wander.

2. To walk about casually or for pleasure.

3. To follow an irregularly winding course of motion or growth.

4. To speak or write at length and with many digressions.

The other day I was speaking to Ed The Tall and we were batting about the age old question: "Where do we ride this weekend?" We were a bit stymied trying to decide on the 'perfect route'. Then frustrated by our lack of inspiration, Ed said something profound in its clarity and vision - "This should not be this hard". I agreed.

So it was later that I was mulling this over in my mind and the word 'Ramble' floated up out of the mist of my little gray cells like one of those Magic 8 Ball things.

And just like that, I had it. However, as clear as it is in my mind, it seems to be devilishly hard to get into words. But basically, it likely involves beginning the ride in an unlikely place; perhaps a city location or parking lot of a convenience store; maybe someone's house. A ramble is not pretentious and does not need an auspicious beginning. A ramble could mix in bike paths, pavement, fireroad, trails, whatever, but would end up a patchwork of sections that, taken on their own, are not a ride you would look forward to but when all mixed together become a mosaic for pedaling a bike across the landscape.

Now this may not be an original thought, in fact I am sure it is not, but for me, it has been a refreshingly new way to look at the question of "where to ride". The Wiki definition gets it for sure, and I think numbers two and three pin it down perfectly.

Will it be the revelation it seems to be? Perhaps not. But I am quite ready to ramble a bit and see.