I will be so glad when the crowds of partying teenagers &  twenty-somethings depart Galveston.  Nothing personal, really, except for the fact that I’d like to be able to ride without dodging drunken young people bumbling about on the seawall.  Their reflexes and overall reaction-times are really s-l-o-w.  Which is how I almost got bumped off the edge, to the rocks & churning surf below, by a group of guys driving one of those golf-cart-like surry contraptions.  They were far more interested in the bikini-clad girl behind them than what was in front of – and coming toward – them.  Can you say near-miss?

The seawall is 20 feet high, so my drop onto the boulders below would not be gentle, by any means.  More of a (scream) plunge, (higher-pitched scream) kerplunk (agonized scream) splat (silence), to be precise.

Which is why they have these signs posted:

That being said, the views to be had riding this 10 mile ribbon along Galveston’s Gulf Coast is still worth navigating around all of that nonsense.

I enjoy seeing people out enjoying the sand and water.  Especially with their kids or dogs.

With their surf boards.

Making me wish I had learned how to surf.  Because if my Magic 8 Ball or some crystal ball had told me that I’d have MS one day and would lose coordination & balance, I’d’ve gotten a board. (probably purple)

What would you learn to do if you knew for certain that your body would not be able to engage in that activity in a decade? A year?

I’d dance more, too.  Lots & lots of dancing!  But, for now, I’ll ride this trike in a very “musical” way, and dodge pedestrians & disasters as gracefully as possible.

Did I mention the end of the late afternoon & evening rides are my favorite?  I love watching the water as dusk waltzes in, riding the waves to shore.  The colors of the sky, smeared across sand & reflected on the water – even on overcast days – never fail to soothe me.

PLEASE SUPPORT MY EFFORTS IN THE 2011 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WITH TEAM LEARY FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION