An Ode to My Bike

Street Smart Naturalist · Jan 22, 2026 · 8m

I hope you’ll indulge me with an off topic newsletter about an important event in my life. Thanks kindly.

I recently gave away my old bike. It was the end of an era for me. For more than four decades, the lovely bike had served me well, taking me on trips ranging from short hops to the supermarket to an extended trip that covered more than 2,500 miles. I rode it at college, to many, many jobs, to do research on my books, for pleasure, for exercise. I rode it on 105°F plus days in southern Utah, on booger-freezing-cold days in Colorado, in clothing-permeating rainstorms in Seattle, and through…