Bike Movie
Last night was movie night.
No one wanted to see the new Woody Allen movie; I’ll see it eventually, if only by myself. As we’ve all experienced, taking in a movie with another couple involves some negotiating. I like to assert the 1-veto rule, that being you can only squash one suggestion for the evening, so use it wisely.
Instead our friends wanted to see “Your Sister’s Sister‘ which, so far as movie titles go, would seem to define the genre chick flick. I went along without objection; I needed a night out of the house.
Not to give anything away — no spoilers here — it turns out to be a bike movie of sorts. At least for me it was.
Shortly after the plot setup in the opening scenes, our pathetic hero is off on his vintage steel bike, heading to the ferries, on his way from Seattle to the San Juan Islands.
My wife leans over to whisper, “Like your 60th plans.”
Without hesitation I shoot back, “I am kinda hip.”
Bikes are showing up in storefront window displays, in Moscow shopping malls, in print media, TV and film — they’re the essence of cool and avant garde, so it’s no wonder I’m in a movie theatre seeing the story unfold as the unsettled and unemployed sole male character, still grieving a year after his brother’s death, rides off to find himself and get his life in gear by bicycling to a drop dead gorgeous cabin at the water’s edge of an unnamed island in the Pacific NW.
It’s similar to the plans I’ve made for my 60th birthday next month.
Some may remember last year’s family bike vacation which had decidedly mixed results, but I can’t wait to try it again. As Adventure Cycling’s Jim Sayer says, once you take a bike vacation you’re not going to settle for much less. Others might describe last year’s adventure vacation as an unmitigated disaster. Anticipating any teenage dissent, I wrapped this 8-day tour in the ‘How can anyone object to Dad’s 60th birthday plans?’ mystique; yes, I guilt-tripped my own family.
And why not? It’s a gorgeous destination and I haven’t visited Orcas Island in 30 years.
Will it rain? Any other time of year, but unlikely in mid-August.
Will it be challenging? I’ve made sure that the first 4 days will all be on Victoria’s Galloping Goose rails-to-trails bike path which is flat as a pancake.
Back to the movie — I think it helped my cause — my wife and I both enjoyed it. After the slow start our friends warmed up to it, too.
One other take-away from the movie: I’m packing a warmer coat — we all could feel the NW chill and took note of the cast’s wardrobe selections.
