The noblest invention

Isn't the bicycle the noblest invention ever? And with skyrocketing gas prices, doesn't that dusty beauty leaned against the garage wall look a little better every day?

I have heard the bicycle described as the most important machine to come out of the Industrial Revolution. That's hard to dispute when one considers the benefits bicycles have brought to every region of the earth in less that 150 years. The bicycle is at the center of the hub (no pun intended) of commerce in many developing countries. People in western nations still resort to the bike when ownership of a peronal automobile is unrealistic. That may apply to you and me before long.

But for now, riding a bicycle for most Americans is about fun and freedom. When we were children, we crawled, walked, ran...and then we rode, and we discovered the world where the sidewalk ends. I was able to rekindle a little bit of that discoverer's joy as I watched my own children take to two wheels and disappear around the corner and out of sight.

I'm still possessed of a bicycle-fed, childlike wanderlust to round the corner and disappear from view for awhile. This summer I will either ride from Fayetteville, North Carolina to my hometown of Ironton, Ohio (430 hilly miles) or cross Ohio east to west (240 not-so-hilly miles) in the first week of July. Being a flatlander for so long, I'll probably choose the latter. Either way, I'll be traveling in style on the noblest invention. Wish me luck!