moka hussle.

miles: 15-ish

this week was a rough one at work. a power trippin' new health inspector, employees fighting, and business just getting busier all the time. one of my bosses, oddly enough, offered to cover my shift on saturday so i knew my chance to strap some garbage to my bike and go camping was now. after a long ride home in traffic, a trip to the bank, and a trip to pay my mechanic to get my car back left me with little daylight left. i came home and in a fury stuffed some panniers full of stuff for the night and after a few false starts i was off.

i knew roughly where i was going to camp for the night but that was about it. i rode for a bit and found an area that looked suitable enough and went to work. i had barely enough time to set up a tarp and hammock before a headlamp was necessary. i was going to be an early night, indeed. i made a quick bowl of chili and settled into the hammock with a graphic novel for some light reading before i dozed off. i pulled my bike under the tarp in case it rained during the night and every few minutes gave a tug on the pedal to get the hammock swaying. soon enough i was fast asleep.

morning came and with no agenda today i stayed in the hammock for a bit and continued to decompress for a while. no gadgets buzzing with notifications, no tv, no internet, no sounds of the neighbors' kids screaming, no landscapers, no traffic and no work. this was something that i needed desperately. i got up and got to the things that really matter... coffee. while i waited for the moka pot to gurgle i sat and practiced a few new knots i've recently learned. i felt accomplished and totally bad-ass. 

with the coffee ready i sat and watched the last of the alcohol burn off in the stove and then it was time to pack up. feeling a bit dirty and greasy and tossed a leg over my bike and started pedaling home. i passed a few people on horseback coming the other direction and bid them a good morning. it's unfortunate that my life schedule these days rarely allows for time enough to do something as relaxing as this in spite of how short it was. i suppose i'll take what i can get but i'm not happy about it. 

i had a blast all the same, just me and my bike.