wan·der·lust
Pronunciation: ˈwän-dər-ˌləst
Function: noun
Etymology: German, from wandern to wander + Lust desire, pleasure
: strong longing for or impulse toward wandering

Wandering is one of my favorite things to do on a bike. I enjoy the feeling of getting lost, with only a simple sense of cardinal directions (and sometimes not even that) to guide me.

About a month back, I mentioned that my job was moving to the other side of town. My commute didn’t change much in length, but definitely changed in character.

What used to be a nice 6 mile flat spin on mostly paved urban trails and very bike friendly roads instantly transformed into a 6.5 mile ride on some of the least bike friendly roads in flagstaff with a big hill and a consistent headwind smack dab in the middle.

My previous commute was easy enough that I never had to shower when I got to work. I would cruise in, enjoy the ride, and get to work without any noticeable perspiration. Since the transition, I have struggled to keep this routine. In order to keep from overexerting, I either have to crawl up the hill at a mind-numbingly slow pace on my fixie, or ride my road bike in one of the lowest gears.

Today that all changed. I threw a towel, soap, shampoo, deodorant, and comb into the bag with the intention of laying claim to a locker at work.

With this line in the sand, I decided that I was no longer obligated to take the quickest (or easiest) way to work. So, this morning I also decided to try and find a ‘back way’ to work, utilizing urban trails, forest roads, and the occasional social trail.

Almost an hour after I set out on my journey of discovery, I rolled into work. As I set the green machine in the rack outside, I thought about how thankful I was for the cross tires on the fixie, thought about the fact that I was covered in dust and dirt from head to toe, and marched towards the locker room with a smile from ear to ear.

Washboard forest roads, rocky descents on a brakeless fixie, false starts down dead-end roads, hike a bikes (53×19 is not a good dirt climbing gear), the mysteries of my location, and the anticipation of where I would end up when I actually recognized a landmark.

It was one of the funnest commutes I’ve ever had.

I think tomorrow I’m going to leave earlier, take the singlespeed (the 53×19 on the fixie, even with cross tires, was a bit brutal), and possibly even the GPS so I can start mapping all the different routes I end up taking to get there.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful routine.