I had only ridden once in the past 4 days due to some travelling to visit family over 600 miles away. Upon arriving home I went for a ride because that one ride had left me at four miles less than 2000 for the year. I rolled out from the house after 11:00 pm because I felt restless due to missing riding those days and a desire to reach that 2000 mile goal two weeks early. An incident near the end of the ride helped to coalesce thoughts which had been forming over the past three weeks.
I have found there is much to enjoy on a bicycle ride. It is not at all uncommon for a bicyclist to carry the additional weight of a camera in order to capture memories of the ride so the enjoyment can be relived and also shared with others. It is especially true now that one device can serve as bicycle computer, camera, phone, and GPS.
Part of the magnificence of a bicycle tour, whether it is four days or four weeks, is the various wonders in this world to be seen. The different vistas which you come upon can be inspiring. On my only multi-day tour to date I was able to enjoy a variety of landscapes. On that ride we climbed mountains, descended escarpments, rode along coastlines, looked down on medieval castles, and cruised desert wadis; to name a few of the sights. It is not necessary to be on a multi-day ride to enjoy the world around you. There are many memorable sights within a short distance of where you are. Open yourself to the wonderment which surrounds you and you will be continuously creating memories worth revisiting. A camera helps you share these memories with others in a fashion which will bring them to vivid life.
Not all sights seen are on the scale of panoramic vistas and buildings. It is common to see animals when bicycling, even if your cycling is confined to roads you will notice that animal life abounds. It can be the annoyance of swarms of bugs near dusk. It can be the majestic strutting of a tom turkey. Like many, I frequently see deer along the roadways. I have had to brake to avoid both deer startled into running across the road and turkeys flying across the road ahead of me. Smaller species of wildlife and domestic animals are commonly seen: raccoons, possums, raptors, cats, dogs, etc. Something I really enjoy seeing are the hundreds of fireflies putting on an unsynchronized light show in several of the fields near my abode as I return home at night. Some of the animal sightings occur too rapidly and unexpectedly to bring a camera to bear, others are in poor lighting and not conducive to good photographs. Nevertheless, images of animals seen can be frequently captured. The incident mentioned in the opening paragraph involved seeing a beautifully marked animal crossing the road as I cycled past.
Some memories you would just as soon not capture, they would in fact be best forgotten. Negative interactions with people are unfortunately not uncommon when cycling. Motorists can be aggressive and threatening to cyclists, along with the other occupants of a vehicle. I've had people in their yards, individuals whom I have never before interacted with, start cursing at me as I pass at a distance of 120 feet from them. Regardless of those occurrences, people still bring a smile to my face through very simple interactions. Several times last week, while on errands and then on a evening intro ride for new cyclists, this occurred when children shouted to gain my/our attention and then bounced up and down as they waved, grinned, cheered, and generally encouraged us. I always wish to recall this type of interaction with people.
Not every memory created on a bicycle ride can be captured with a camera because not all memories are visual or auditory. The camera's video mode could capture the audible impressions. I would not depend on a adequate quality in audio capture from either phones or point and shoot cameras to do more than focus your own memories. I especially would not expect sound recorded on a phone or camera to do much in helping others enjoy your memory vicariously.
Scents are a specific type of memory which can not be captured at this point in time. For as long as I can remember, it has been stated that scents are one of the strongest triggers to memory recall. Each of us have scents which will take us back instantly and accurately to our past. It could be the smell of gardenias or jasmine reminding you of your grandmother because of the perfume she used. For me fresh turned earth takes me back to my teen and college years due to growing up in a farm community and working in fields belonging to neighbors or the university. Likewise the smell of hay drying in the summer sun carries me back, as does corn tasselling when it is pollinating.
Other smells detected on a bicycle ride may not bring back a particular memory yet are familiar due to repeatedly encountering them or their ubiquitousness in life. I often detect these types of smells from houses in neighborhoods through which I pass or from cars on the road. These scents can be mundane or alluring; perfume, cigarettes, pot, dryer sheets, etc. This brings me back to my incident at the end of last nights ride. It involved sight and scents, the same scent that started some of these thoughts to brewing three weeks ago. The animal I saw crossing the road was beautifully and boldly marked. It scurried with a waddling gait to get out of traffic and was about two and a half lanes over from me and headed towards the other side of the road. I hope the most vivid memory of this species remains to be that sight. I never want its scent to become more intimate as a trigger to memories than simply a hint that a member of the species had been startled at that location sometime earlier in the day.
