The End of The Season

"When the white eagle of the North
   flies overhead,
And the browns, read, and golds of Autumn
   lie in the gutter, dead."


I saw the end of summer today. I knew it was coming, and had been expecting it for a while. The afternoons have still been hot, but the breezes have had a hint of coolness on the rides home. The last few cold fronts have brought back the sub-70 degree morning temperatures, and the morning ride is back in total darkness again.

But today, there was the first real sight of autumn - fallen leaves blowing down the road.

Some of the trees are beginning to lose their cover, and it won't be long now until the sleeveless jerseys of summer give way to the short sleeves, and then the riding jackets of autumn. Summer is coming to a close, and with it, many other things, as well.

After several year of carless commuting, I have changed my whole outlook on cycling, and on life, too. Daily cycling has given me back my time, and my life, again. It has changed my focus and priorities, and my goals. Living locally, and simpler, I have found a way out of the consumer way of living, and moved towards the sustainable life. The old way is passing, and a new way beckons.

It's just a simple matter of learning to let go. The same way I let go of my automobile four years ago. I see now that letting go of my automobile was just the beginning of a whole new way of living.

I'm taking the time now to savor each morning and afternoon commuting ride, as I know these rides are some of the last for me here.

Soon, I will follow the birds southward, to the land where summer never really dies, and ice storms and winter's chill will become a distant memory.

My future is waiting for me, there, as it always has been.

I won't see the autumn leaves fall again, or hear the sound of summer, passing away.

Ride safe.


"Remember then, the summer birds,
     with wings of fire,
Come to witness Spring's new hope,
    Born of leaves decaying."