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A SHARED MEMORY
by Mike Katz
One of my fondest memories is that of a ride from the Smoke House to St Alban’s several years ago, led by Dale. One of the riders was Leonard Blake, who died just a few years ago. I think Leonard was nearly 80 years old and I was in my mid-to-late 40’s. Leonard knew more about Indian life in West St. Louis County than anyone I’ve encountered and pointed out a burial mound and the location of a flint deposit where he had found arrowheads.
As I was having a terrible time climbing Ossenfort Hill, Leonard sped by me. He waited at the top of the hill, smiling like the Cheshire Cat, said nothing and we continued along as though climbing the hill was like a walk in the park. I was stiff and sore for days, but I doubt that Leonard felt any effects of the ride. (Note: Leonard Blake died in 2002 at age 99.)
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BIKING MEMORIES SEEM TO BE WAR STORIES THAT HAVE BECOME FUNNY
by Lissa Klein
I remember when I was first starting and had three flats on the River Road trail and Dennis Baute changed every one. I was riding my pride and joy bike from graduate school days (over 20 years previous). That is the bike that an experienced biker took one look at and told me to put it on the curb, out with the trash. It took a year for me to do that.
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Lissa Klein recalls a Claude Pepper quotation of many years ago. “Life is like riding a bicycle. You don’t fall off unless you stop pedaling.”
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I REMEMBER ON THE OLD CAMP RIDES
by Joan Fromme
We would stay in some state parks that were in the middle of nowhere. On this ride there were several guys who would ride out and sneak beer into the camp ground. Even though we were all over 21, we would find “hidden spots” in the park to have a beer. That probably made it more fun sneaking it rather than sitting around and drinking it like adults.
On the CAMP ride through northern MO in 1993 this junior high age boy flagged me down and said , “This is for you,” and handed me a note and ran back up to his house. I read the note and could not quit laughing. It said that he had seen me biking and thought I had a nice butt and he just wanted to tell me. I still have the note because women my age (I was 41 when that happened) usually don’t get notes like that!
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A WALKER’S FOND MEMORY
by Jean Wasser
My favorite walk is from Forest Park to the arch. Walking through St. Louis University and admiring the new sculptures, fountains, and plantings let’s me know that we are growing as a city. When I end up at the Arch, I always stop to see the museum and enjoy the bookstore. I can then walk back or ride the Metro. It is a real fun way to spend a Saturday morning.
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MY DOG SPOKE
by Gail Goodenow
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Gail & Spoke Goodenow
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My favorite AYH memory occurred on the Peach Pedal Bicycle ride in 2000. That was the day I found my dog, Spoke Lance Goodenow. Here is Spoke’s story.
Midway through the ride, just outside of Smithton, IL a tiny brown puppy came out of the grass on the side of the road. My friend and I heard dogs barking at the house across the street. Thinking that perhaps this puppy had gotten loose from his mom and littermates, we took the little guy to the house. The owner, a former mayor of Smithton, was a dog breeder and this mutt was not one of his. He told us that people dump puppies in front of their house all the time. I told him I wanted to keep the dog if in fact it was abandoned. He offered to keep the little fellow until we finished the ride and returned to pick him up. When we returned for the puppy, the gentlemen held him up to his face. His hands cupped under the dog’s tiny front shoulders. He stared eye to eye for a bit with the dog hanging motionless. Finally he decided saying, “yep, he’ll make you a fine dog.” He even gave him his first booster shot. I left my name and number just
in case someone came looking for their lost puppy.
On the way home, I noticed that my little guy was head-to-toe covered in fleas. After several flea baths, it was time to name my puppy. He would be named Pedals, after the ride. A couple days later, I decided Pedals was too girly of a name for a boy dog and I couldn’t have the neighborhood dogs making fun of him. Well the search for, what else, the appropriate bicycle part to name my puppy began. Derailer and gear just didn’t sound right and handlebar was just too long. The perfect name for my dog would be Spoke Lance
Goodenow.
Now they say, that mixed breeds are smart and in this case, it’s true, Spoke is a very smart dog. He tested out of basic training and graduated with honors from advanced obedience school. At six months, I enrolled Spoke in the St. Louis Support Dogs Touch Dog program. Spoke and I graduated, again with honors and he is now trained to go into nursing homes and hospitals to bring joy to others just as he does for me.
Of course I continue to annually do the Peach Pedal Ride and stop to visit those wonderful folks who kept Spoke for me while I finished the ride. I always tell them that they were right, he is making me a “fine dog.’’
One final note, last year when I met Lance Armstrong, he was pleased to hear of Spoke’s middle name.
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