One thing I’ve never disliked about living in West Virginia is the fact that it’s easy to find a place to take a bike ride without the threat of getting mowed down by cars.

For instance, there’s the North Bend Rail Trail if you don’t mind mud and “haunted tunnels.” I rode there often when I was much younger and in better shape, and last year I tried again, but as soon as I unloaded my bike, the brakes fell off. So.

This year the plan is to ride more, no matter how much my sore body protests. Which it will, if last week’s ride on a relatively flat, paved trail along the Ohio River tells me anything.