Bike Route

I decided it was a good day for yet another bike ride. Actually, anything short of hurricane conditions is a good day. There are no real bike routes to speak of, and those that are in the vicinity go nowhere useful. I've often wondered that- what the purpose of bike routes are that first, people also walk on (again, this is a good thing to be doing, but putting people on foot and people on bikes in close proximity is asking for trouble) and that the bike routes seem to terminate abruptly at some random point. Are people on bikes likely to suddenly forget where they were going and go back the way they came to regroup? There is a scenic value to the average bike route, but unfortunately no practical one. I've heard from people who don't use bike routes on principle, finding them rather pointless. But sharing the road with cars is occasionally a challenge. I ride a bike everywhere not because I don't have a car, (actually I don't- fact is I can get by without one for now) but because I prefer a bike. My rationale is first, it's good exercise, second, everyone thinks of you as That Crazy Guy On The Bike (easy identification, especially in a small town like this), cost-effectiveness (no fuel costs, unless you count food and water) and ease of use. Besides, if you get tired of waiting for traffic lights, you can usually find a way around them. But technically you're subject to traffic laws- thus, if you're doing something stupid and you get hit, well, that's kind of your own lookout. If someone else is doing something stupid and hits you, then that's usually their fault. So be careful. Actually, most people behind the wheel of a car, (as opposed to being behind one of two wheels) are courteous and careful. Some are not- my advice is screw with them mercilessly. I can recall one cool fall day in East Hartford, waiting at a red light. I had moved to the left-hand side of the lane, the reason being that first, this is what you're supposed to do, second, that this allows drivers behind me to both get around and have me out of their way. So I wait at the red light, mind wandering as usual, when a car pulls up behind me. Nothing unusual about this, this is a fairly populated area, and bikes abound. This driver, despite being at a red light, decided my waiting at the light was somehow interfering with his waiting for the same light, and laid on the horn. Not one to be intimidated and move out of the way, I decided to play innocent and figure out what he wanted. I parked the bike in front of his car (a big Buick luxury car, if that's at all relevant), forcing him either to run it over or go around, (I already had noted his plate number, should the former occur) and went over to his window with a puzzled expression to see what was the matter- did I have a flat tire? Was I in some danger I was unaware of? The driver was forced to back up, go around the bike, and run the red light hauling ass away from me, no doubt expecting a beating with a water bottle or something. (not that I was interested in violence, as that would result in me getting in trouble rather than him). But still, it's the little things that get you through the day. Or the ride. I think I was heading to the grocery store that day.
On a completely insane note- check out the following- www.mountainbikemilitia.com - all your paranoid conspiracy theories, now in a convenient two-wheeled model!