I still find it hard to believe that it’s been over a week since the government shutdown began.

After two days of riding my Bike Friday Tikit, I left it at the Dining Room Bike Shop for some derailleur work. The staff said they would get to it “sometime,” and since then I have been tooling around D.C. on the Rivendell Quickbeam.

On rare occasions I’ve pondered what I would do if unexpected time off came my way. I would go bike touring. I would spend every day going on a long run. I would finish all these neglected house projects.

Now unexpected time has arrived in the form of a furlough and I’m not doing those things I dreamed about. I have gone on a few longer runs of 10 miles, compared to my regular four-mile weekday loop and I’ve made it out for some day rides as you have seen.

It’s difficult for me to fully embrace this “free” time because, like many I suppose, I worry about what Congress is doing, whether it’s making any progress to get our government running again and if so, when that will be. I have no peace of mind. Whoever thought I would be so impatient to go back to work?

Nevertheless, I still make sure to get outside. The air is cool. We’ve had rain the past two days. Is fall here to stay? I hope so.

The Quickbeam has been a fine companion on this week’s rides. One gear. Perfect fit. Spry feel. Simple functionality. I’m never taking functionality for granted again.