I was walking through downtown McMinnville Oregon during a yearly local event called, believe it or not, Turkey-rama. I think it was invented by the chamber of commerce to attract local tourist dollars to the area. Originally, you could buy real turkey legs to eat instead of the myriad of deep-fried sugar fat items with names like "elephant ears" normally sold at these street-fair type events. Sadly, there is now turkey for sale on only one of the three days of Turkey-rama. You can still spend a a small fortune on carnival rides if you really need to convince yourself your life still contains something resembling fun, though.
While at this manufactured event, I was delighted to see this awesome low-rider bicycle, and asked the owner if I could take his picture.This tricked out low-rider bicycle is giving bicycling some well deserved street cred. I've also seen a few other bicycles in town outfitted with state-of-the-art stereo systems that could rival a concert hall. It's this kind of flipping off of the auto industry that gives me hope for the future of the planet. I'm proud to say that I existed without a gas-powered vehicle for about three years. At one point, I rode my bicycle seven and a half miles a day to and from work. Okay, I had to get Frogs Togs rain gear, but it was totally worth it.
I arrived at work literally pumped up, anxiety-free, and ready to roll. Granted, I didn't stay anxiety free long when faced with bullying capitalist overseers, but riding home got rid of a lot of angry tension, too. I think that tricking out bicycles and making them the new status symbols for cool is definitely a step in the right direction. Any blow to the oil and insurance industries is a welcome one for mankind. Let' s all raise a toast to the physical, political and social ascendency of the bicycle, and an end to the global dominance of the oil industry!
Let us raise a toast to the wind in our hair!