Monday, August 31, 2015

Why Do I Like My Miata So Much?

I think I'm slowly figuring things out.

A few months ago I rode my bike from Utah to the Oregon coast to go buy back my old Miata. But my old Miata came with a bonus, a not quite as old Miata to use as parts. So for that last few months I have needed to make a second trip to Oregon to get the parts is parts car. Last week I finally got in my old truck and headed out to get the car.

Not long after getting into the truck I am reminded that driving is a boring activity. I'm not sure what all is involved, a creative mind that likes to be active, and a body that likes to be active, or what but I can't drive for long before I get bored and have troubles staying awake. So a little Red Bull, a little more Red Bull, and even more Red Bull and I am able to endure the 14+ hours it takes to get from my home to Astoria Oregon. First thing I notice when I get out of the truck is how jittery I am.

Then a couple of nice days riding my bike and it is back to the truck. Even the couple of hours of driving down to Newport is way to long to be sitting in a truck. Then comes the true test, driving back home. With the car on a trailer behind the truck I have to drive slower, and with the nap somewhere in the middle of Oregon it ends up taking about 24 hours to get back home.

Shortly after getting my Miata back the convertible top broke, making it hard to put the top up or down. Now with the spare parts car I got to work and swapped doors, fixed seatbelts, and fixed my convertible top.

So today I had to go for a short drive. Putting the top down it starts out as a fun ride, but then I realized why I like don't really like driving and why the Miata is so much better.

I like to be creative, I don't like to be caged in, I like freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, just basically the feeling that I can do what I need to do. But in a car (or truck) your freedom is severely limited. First of all you are boxed into a little cage. Then you must stay between the lines. There are speed limits that if you get caught breaking then you have to sit around while some cop that has been trapped in his own cage takes his time to give you a fine for your attempt to enjoy the ride. But then even without the speed limits there are stop lights, stop signs, and all kinds of rules that you have to conform to. And if that was not limiting enough you are always surrounded by other cars that limit you freedom of motion.

So I think the reason I like the Miata so much is that when I put the top down, to some degree I escape the cage of being in a car. It gives me a sense of freedom. I find myself swerving back and forth in-between the lines of my lane. My little bit of freedom makes me want more. And so I like the Miata.

But mountain biking is even better. I am not in any kind of cage. I feel free to roam and explore. I love mountain biking. But maybe all of this factors into why I hate the rule that mountain bikes are not allowed in the Wilderness areas. Wilderness areas are set apart so that we can escape the confines of our modern world. What I love about mountain biking is also what I love about being in the Wilderness. Too bad I am not allowed to combine the two.

I just love to ride my bike.

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