Suffering the vagaries of ageing, I thought I might need to start thinking about giving up mountain biking. I'd had a couple of injuries that had undermined my confidence which led to a couple of stupid accidents and then my neck developed a chronic condition that made me generally feel about 100 years old. But, when Sally bought a new bike with better suspension and bigger tires, I got the brilliant idea that all I needed was a new bike.
Mike at first poo-pooed the idea, saying all I needed to do was replace the fork on my 12 year-old Intense Spider, to achieve the same comfort level Sally had on her new Spider. Somehow, it didn't seem wise to sink hundreds of dollars into an old bike, even though it had been carefully maintained. So, what began as an internet search for a fork that would fit the old bike, evolved into a halfhearted search for a new bike. This beauty presented itself, an end-of-year close out deal, and the decision was made.
I could bore you to tears with a description of its technical wondrousness but suffice it to say, that big six-inch Pike fork was just what the doctor ordered for my sore neck.
Last weekend, Sally and I rode the Motorcycle Trails. We had pretty much stopped riding this heart-stopping trail since I'd wrecked on it and sprained my ankle; but emboldened by our new and improved rides, we couldn't resist. The last descent on that roller-coaster of a trail is a long, steep, overgrown track that invites a rider to let gravity and momentum have their way; damn the rocks, full speed ahead! There's a gate at the bottom that requires one to slide into a sideways stop like a ten-year old on a Stingray. It's not really mandatory but it does seem like the proper exclamation point at the end of that run. Breathless with exertion and excitement, Sally announced that it was THE MOST FUN she'd had all week. "Better than sex?' I asked her. (we're both old, married women just in case you missed the humor in that question) She promptly decided that we would name that section of trail BTS.
After such an exciting ride, it was time for some more soothing activity and there's nothing that soothes my soul like a walk in the wash with my dogs. The end of Daylight Savings Time afforded an extra hour of preparation this morning, and I had the day off, so I took may camera along. And now, I'll take you along:
Molly scans the wash for chaseables.
The remains of one of the old railroad bridges.
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