After my chain snapped on Monday I took the bike in for a day at the spa. Wednesday was a wash, but today I finally got to go for a ride again. The Surly was all fancy pants–new handlebar wrap, new water bottle holders, a shiny clean drive train, and new shifter cables and housing– and it was a treat. We were so quiet, and the shifting was so sharp, and I solemnly swore in my head to to do better this time with the regular washing and care taking. We rode up the hill and swooped down and back up to Druid Hill Park for some laps around the reservoir. The near side was speedy, the far side slow and wobbly into the strong winds. I passed the usual suspects: joggers, walkers, lots and lots of dogs, and that car that broke down on Druid Hill Park Lane and by the time I was done with my laps, the car had a friend and then a tow truck. And always this fencing was on my right, the light whipping through it like a reservoir flip book. And then it was suddenly cold on my knuckles and I finished my laps and turned down the hill to meet J. for a beer and good talk about what’s been happening with bike/ped infrastructure in New Orleans since I left. It was the perfect nerd bike end to a nerd bike ride that was pretty much just about the bike and what a delicious machine it is.