The Very Best Adventures

Will Shortz is a smart guy. In early 2005 when asked if he had a New Year's resolution he was working on, he replied:

"You know, I don't make New Year's resolutions. If I think of a way to improve myself during the year, I just do it immediately."

That struck me as good advice, advice worth taking to heart and acting on. Note that this is not a lack of resolve, but rather a resolution to act daily with resolution.

Looking back on 2011, I see the results of resolutions. Not big do or die resolutions but intentions that resulted in the actions that filled the days. Christine decided to buy a bike and ride the Oregon Coast. While that trip was wonderful and beautiful, the smile I see on Christine's face every day when she rides her bike is even more beautiful.

In April the idea of riding a bit, every day resulted in my looking more closely at the place I call home and finding the time for small adventures. Adventures are important and adventures happen day by day.

Or in the dark of night. One recent adventure involved riding all night through the longest night of the year with my friends Mark, David, Scott & Brad. Some folks may ask the question "Why?" as in why ride dark roads and trails on a cold night. I could answer with tales from a world made strange and beautiful by darkness, where a herd of elk is glimpsed in a headlight beam, where thoughts of deep philosophic import are shared among friends, where we find a Kelly Kettle can fuse itself to a plastic picnic table even in freezing weather, where true fine dining is found at 3:00 AM in a mini-mart in Fall City and where nothing tastes better than morning coffee after an all-night ride. Those are all answers with their own truth but the truest best answer is the one given by those friends who know the right answer is "Why the hell not?" and ride with you.

And so we ride.

We, who are on the road, must have a code that we can live by. In 2011 my friend Tarik wrote it down and it's good:

1) RIDE BIKES

2) TRY NOT TO BE AN ASS

Words to live by.

I wish you the very best adventures in 2012.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson

Issaquah WA USA