biking to Obama

first,
a thanks to Liz @ NY Cross.com,
for putting out the FB group & idea of biking to Obama.
I kind of, in my lazy way,
dismissed the thought when I heard the news.
But the more I thought it over,
I SHOULD BE THERE.
So I rearranged the work schedule,
but still got an hour and a half late start.

I am the stereotypical male
when it comes to directions and asking for help,
and my 'inner cump-ass' has never really worked,
but I've stumbled into alot of situations due to it.

I rarely venture over to Troy,
there's only a couple bridges over the Hudson to Troy,
and I've only biked two of them,
so I left with no map,
only a vague sense of how to get to the college,
and that looming count down....
plane lands in a half hour,
and my legs have no 'GO',
oh, I've only had coffee....


So the closest bridge,
the bridge that leads right to the college,
yeah, it's closed.
Closed to EVERYONE.
Cop was not humoured in telling me
how to get to the next bridge.
I'm late, and I get a detour,
to somewhere....
and no map.


That bridge?
That's the one I needed.
I know it's up a hill or two or three,
and to the right.
About as far right as that bridge over there.
I finally breakdown and ask for directions,
First I get an old lady out for a walk,
lived there for most her life,
knows how to get ANYWHERE,
JUST DOESN'T KNOW ANY OF THE STREET NAMES -
my luck.
"I can just tell you, you're going the wrong way"
Next try,
stoner kid who just rolled out of the 90's,
"yeah, right at the light, up a huge hill,
then right again"
next thing you know I'm on a REALLY rural road,
dodging pickups and no shoulder.
Wondering if he sent me the wrong way, just for fun.
I would've done the same at that age.
SHIT!


As I see the helicopter, I know I'm in the general area,
but where?
Finally I come across a road block,
I figure I must be behind the campus.
The whole neighborhood is on lockdown.
There's no way to get through.
So I play the role of the lost cyclist to the cop.

"How do I get back to the river?
I normally do a loop, but they had one bridge shut down,
then there's all these closed roads...
I just need to get back to Albany so I can get to work.
If I can find Route 4, I think I can find my way back."

After a minute, and a glance around. I get

"go up here a bit and go right, around the sign,
follow that down, you should be ok".

SWEET!

Around the stopped cars,
duck the sign,
and I end upon the drive
that the motorcade should be pulling into.

As I roll up I'm greeted by total strangers,

"YOU JUST MISSED IT! IT WAS AWESOME!"
"LIKE TEN MINUTES AGO!"
"HE WAVED! HE WAS LIKE TEN FEET AWAY!"

Just my luck!