Thursday Ride & a Story

Originally, this blog was created so there would be a record of the goofy events surrounding my cycling life, I'd print copies of the ride reports and then some day my children could read about what I did and think, "Gosh, our dad was a rather ordinary endurance athlete".  However, as Flyin Tuna has reminded me, dementia is starting to set in so I need to accelerate my life's recollections or else they'll be lost forever.  So, in the spirit of putting it down on paper so it is not lost forever, I tell the following very true tale.  

I was in Taipei, Taiwan on a business trip with a co-worker.  After a day of meetings, the owner of a small golf company invited us out to eat and while walking to the restaurant, we passed through a street fair that was resplendent in lights, colors, activity, fair goers and vendors displaying their wares in booths.  One in particular caught my eye, not just because a live cobra was coiled on a table, not just because a guy was toying with it but mostly because, there was no barrier between the crowd and the snake.  We stopped at the perimeter of the crowd to watch.  After playing with the cobra for awhile, it was grabbed, killed and hung from the booth rafter on a string.  Next, the operator hoisted a large snapping turtle over his head and began speaking rapidly.  The turtle was brought to the table and a clever was used to cut off the head. 

This is where things got very interesting.   The operator poured a clear liquid into the orifice where once the head was located.  Then the opening was cupped with a hand and the turtle lifted overhead and vigorously shaken.  The rapid speak continued as a helper appeared with a large plate containing shot glasses.  The turtle was turned upside down and the liquid contents poured into each glass.  People began lining up to pay for a drink of this alcohol/turtle guts mix.  The locals viewed it as a health elixir and it appeared all the drinks were to be sold.  Yep, strange but true.

OK, radar looked bad but I thought I should show up at the New Albany Starbucks, as did Dennis (who has a funny story to tell from his Tuesday skulling session).  Also there was someone for John Morgan's 5:00pm ride, a guy on a pearl white/black Trek.  I decided to trail run instead and did, ouch, that pounding is going to take some getting used to.  Wow, looks like tomorrow's ride will be fun with a WSW wind behind us and then once it strengthens, we'll be riding back into 25mph head winds.  I'm going to ride but I am reserving a spot behind Little Diesel and will guard it jealously

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