This year I realized how much I rely on riding, for my socializing even. Half the people I know are the people I wave at and say hi to on my bicycle. I miss being out there.” Brud Grossman, “The Art of Simplicity”, East Mountain Living magazine, Fall/Winter Edition 2017/2018
The mountain communities east of Albuquerque are beautiful for cycling. The Fall/Winter Edition of East Mountain Living magazine has a nice story on resident Brud Grossman, who makes himself at home there pedaling his bicycle. Brud is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and we always say hi to each other when we’re out cycling. He took some time off the bike while recovering from injuries last year, but he’s back out cycling daily. I just saw him last Saturday when we stopped and joined him for a break on South 14.
Cycling the roads in the East Mountain communities is fun. If there’s one thing better than experiencing places by cycling, it is sharing the pleasure with lovely people. As we leaned on the guardrail alongside the road on South 14, we talked about the small backroads we’ve explored that lead to neighborhoods with unexpected charm, stunning vistas, enchanting swaths of forest. Brud uses cycling as proof of life. Every year he makes it a goal to cycle up the Sandia Crest to the top at over 10,000 feet above sea level. It reminds me of the David Budbill quote from the Sun Magazine. “What I’ve put in the place of religion is the way I live my life now.” Cycling has become part of Brud’s identity. He is also a woodcarver, but at some point years ago his cycling practice became his main thing.
I look up to Brud. Here’s a man who is following his own heart, and living his dream. Living is a language for him, and the joy that comes from living he shares kindly. The pleasure expressed through simple acts of living is a thing of beauty, and inspiring.
If you see Brud cycling, take time to say hello. He’s as much a part of the East Mountain landscape as all the natural features. I always learn something. He’s seen so much through his cycling, and his words are loaded with life. Thank you Brud. Keep on pedaling!
Not he is great who can alter matter, but he who can alter my state of mind. –R.W. Emerson, “The American Scholar”
References:
View the magazine here: https://www.eastmountaindirectory.com/LIVINGMAGAZINE/
Link to PDF of current issue: https://indd.adobe.com/view/586fc0ac-3f67-4078-a478-5708f6ec0b7c
Related Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/EastMountainDirectory
Southwest Bike Initiative 