Beyond serving as a practical mode of transportation, Arianna has given me plenty of good times riding along the Pacific Ocean on the famous strand that stretches from Malibu to Manhattan Beach. Now she takes me on long rides along the Roaring Fork River on the Rio Grande Trail. If you think getting around Aspen is difficult in your car, try living in Los Angeles. During the five years I lived in Santa Monica, an 8-square-mile beach town on L.A.’s west side, I think I put only about 1,000 miles on my car.
Last weekend, four longtime friends and hikers undertook a hike on the Aspen side of West Maroon Pass. Little did they know that my bike was taken off the showroom floor next to the infant section at a toy store. I was forced to buy Arianna after a homeless person stole my other Huffy (it’s customary in Santa Monica to blame virtually everything on the homeless). But I went to a few bike shops and all the cruisers cost between $300 and $1,000.
It sounded like a gunshot but huffy bikes I instantly realized exactly what it was when it happened. My butt knew from the way the rear of the bicycle was squirming around. Wearing glowsticks on the neck and wrists and reflective orange bands on the calves, I set out onto dark roads illuminated only by the super-bright headlight of the cruiser. One great thing about setting out at this cricket-chirping hour was that there were very few cars on the road. Arianna has held up remarkably over the years, especially considering the abuse I have subjected her to.
For web orders returned in-store, please take the item in original packaging, along with the invoice to any Camping World retail locations for a refund or exchange. Refunds for web orders issued in-store are able to be refunded to a GIFT CARD or MAILED CHECK ONLY; some exclusions may apply. Grab coffee on the ride and carry it in the convenient beverage holder on the handlebar.
There were much more cars on the road in the afternoon than during the wee hours of the day. A funny thing was that motorcyclists kept waving as I was crawling back up the pass. This has never happened to me before when I was not riding a motorcycle. Maybe they thought a cruiser bicycle with a round honking headlight was “close enough” to being a Harley-Davidson’s brethren? I have the exact same bike with the exact same problem.