Seeing Green

A few months ago a few of my friends and I were sitting around our favorite coffee house thinking that our lives were feeling a bit too mundane.

So we decided to go to Ireland. No - really. We are.We then concluded that the best way to see Ireland was on a bike. Cars are expensivie and trains and buses only go to the big spots. So our options were walking or biking. It seemed obvious to me. So since that time we have set October 2008 as our departure date and proceeded to get our bank accounts, passports and bodies ready for the journey. We've even looked into taking some Gaelic classes because they don't speak much else in a lot of the little towns we've got mapped out to visit. We've got our tents and camel packs and maps and a few history and tour books.

The thing is - the last bike I owned had purple unicorns and rainbows on it. You braked by back-pedaling and it had a fair amount of streamers as well and those spoke thingies that slid up and down that made popping noises that were the envy of the neighborhood. Though it served is purpose very well (helping me do the best Goonies pretend games ever), its not exactly a piece of equipment you take along the hills on Ireland's southern coast.

So I'm looking to buy my tour bike in the next few weeks and I have found that I have a better command of speaking backwards than of what kind of bike I might need/want.

"Uh - the one with two wheels that goes fast and won't break or break me"

I could take my mother's approach to shopping and just get what looks the prettiest and makes me the happiest - but I have a feeling that that isn't the best approach to this purchase either.

Its all part of the adventure thing we were craving right? Its probably the tip of the iceburg now that I think about it. I suppose I better go visit that new REI at Victoria Gardens and try not the let the cute salesman sell me something ridiculous that I think I might need. Wish me luck.