This is a “feel-good” column, written to share. Please join me in appreciating our home territory.

The Gallatin Valley Bicycle Club sponsored an English (100 miles) and metric (100K) ride last Saturday. Both left from the Belgrade town park, around 8:00 AM. No precise time was given, for these were pleasure rides, not races.

My friend, Professor Richard Wolff, enticed me to join him and I agreed. I used to ride a good deal, over 5,000 miles in some years. Due to ankle reconstruction, I hadn’t toured for years, only commuted from home to FREE, a mere 10 miles. I found the prospect of a 60-mile ride a real challenge. Thanks to Richard, I accepted.

He assured me we’d be the oldest riders by 20 years and not to fret over the likelihood of finishing last. He was wrong, for some riders were a decade older. You could have predicted this by extrapolating from the excellent but antique skiers at Bridger. This was a typical Gallatin County event.

The first rest stop was at the Dutch Reform Church in Churchill. The GVBC greeted us with sports drinks, fruit, cookies, and water. The church’s cooperation made it a more enjoyable ride.

Two features of the rest stand out. A huge farm tractor tooled down Churchill Road, the main street of town, and the driver smiled and waved. How neat! More impressive were the women riders who were uniformly cheerful, healthy, and tanned -- in a word, beautiful. More on them later.

Leaving Churchill, we rode toward Manhattan. Glorious country with potatoes, alfalfa, and ag iron working. Richard and I were cruising at a brisk 16 mph when a pack of six women riders, younger than us but surely not kids, streaked by laughing, talking, and waving. I remain impressed.

We turned west at Manhattan, rode through Logan, and on to Headwaters Park for a fine lunch offered by GVBC. Perfect weather, no wind, great company. I even received favorable comments on FREE’s weekly columns. Richard noted Bozeman’s remarkably high proportion of editorial page readers. Leaving Headwaters, we headed back to Manhattan.

My bottom, unaccustomed to long rides, complained. People did not evolve to spend hours on bike seats. It takes many miles over many days to become accustomed to a bike seat.

From Manhattan we took Dry Creek Road to Belgrade. The final rest stop was at Dry Creek Church. Our hosts were folks on wheel chairs. How could I complain of minor aches?

We crossed the East Gallatin, then Thompson Spring Creek, and Milesnick Ranch. The Belgrade water tower promised the end of a beautiful ride. The second lunch, for it was only 1:30, pulled pork and other wonderful food, was welcome indeed.

Even a metric century justifies lots of calories. When we used to do 400-mile trips on a regular basis, the most welcome restaurant sign was “All You Can Eat.” If we didn’t luck into that, I’d order “medium pizza, everything on it, double meat,” and lose weight. Youth, 50 years now seems young, is wonderful. But being a healthy AARP may be even better.

The trip generated a few thoughts on bike commuting. The world’s most efficient animal is a person on a bike. If well-intended folks want to foster energy conservation there are a few simple, inexpensive adjustments. Bikes will never replace pickups and cars, especially not here, but we can encourage their use. First, educate cyclists on the need to wear helmets, wear safety colors, and obey traffic laws. Second, mark bike paths -- and ticket vehicles that park on them. Third, and this seems so easy to execute, sweep the broken glass and pebbles off the ride way on a regular basis. Flats and crashes are real drags. Being hit by a vehicle is much worse.

Back to the ride. Not only was it a personal pleasure, it reinforced my conviction that this is the best time and place to live. We’ve won the lottery of life’s chances. Let’s appreciate the winnings and work to preserve the features that make it precious. Rides in the country are surely one.