Living in Minnesota makes spring one of my favorite seasons. Not because it's getting warmer, but because I've got bored of the normal winter activities and it's time for something different. [1] One of the rites of spring where I live is getting the first ride in on a local bike trail. This trail is used by cyclists, joggers, and walkers, so something usually happens when you get a bunch of people out on the trail for one of the first nice days.

Now as nice as the weather has been, cycling in Minnesota, in April, can cause some unique nasal conditions. And as a result, most cyclists will need to clear their nasal passages in the middle of a ride.[2] My mistake? Doing it in front of two colleges girls who were casually walking the trail.

As I continued to ride past them I heard one of them say:

Umm, no. Did you see what he just did? Not cool.

Now I'm not sure what interest these two had in me before I did the unmentionable act, but apparently snot rockets aren't cool.

Normally when I go for a ride my mind will wander aimlessly for however long I'm out. I've had, and sometimes lost, some of the best ideas I've ever imagined while riding my bike. So now that I've been informed that snot rockets aren't cool, I started to make a mental list about is cool and what isn't.

So from the ride I learned:

• Bow ties are cool.
• Snot rockets aren't cool.
• Being a dad is cool.
• Going left, when someone says 'On your left' isn't cool.
• Being married for 10 years is cool.
• Realizing how fast it went isn't cool.
• Beating a Yukon Denali to the next intersection is cool.
• Acting like a child because a cyclist beat you to the next intersection isn't cool.

... and the first ride in spring is always cool.