Give a hoot! It's the OwL Ride!

July 21, 2011

It has been nearly one week since I have experienced the heat/near excitement of the colorful OwL (Omaha with Lights) bicycle ride. Coincidentally, I am also currently enjoying a book entitled Owls aren't Wise and Bats aren't Blind by Warner Shedd, which I procured from my local library. The OwL ride was filled with brightly-lit bicycles and occasionally costumed bicyclists (I saw one guy with a Captain America mask/helmet combo that was as neat-o as he wanted to be). I ambled around during the pre-ride events, since my trusty bicycle compadre (con accento, por favor, mi capitan del America!) Rich had, in a move quite unlike an owl (i.e., wisely), chosen to socialize with friends at a birthday party rather than bicycle amongst an awkward throng on a muggy evening. How droll, my dear Richard, how exasperatingly droll. I, however, had already committed myself to the Owl's cause and was not in the mood for turning my neck about like an owl and retreating into the night in order to gnaw on an unlucky rabbit's foot. The owl motif was visible in many of the contestants vying for the best get-up award prior to the ride. There were also a lot of lights.

I think this guy won.

I did not feel out of place with my nearly blindingly bright NiteRider Head Trip, which was not necessarily as decorative as many of my fellow riders' luminaries, but (along with my air horn) did ensure that others were aware of my presence. Perhaps I was overcompensating for my lack of a light (which had earned me several stern rebukes) on a recent Taco Ride. I enjoyed a nice bite to eat (a raspberry 360 bar) at the Field Club stop, and made it back to my vehicle in time to consider going out, but instead headed back to my abode.

This was an enjoyable event that I recommend to one and all without reservation. I am also pleased to report that, as I made the ride on my gear-shifting bicycle (i.e., shifty), I had conducted an overhaul of my rear shifter prior to the ride. This adjustment allowed me to shift nearly as quietly as an owl glides towards your kittens when the pale moon shines down upon an awkward throng of sweaty bicyclists. Yes, the moon was full, and my eyes were full of tears of joy as the event concluded and we OwL riders flew off into the moonset.