Thanks for taking me along on that ride by this post. I hope you shared a cold one with your best friend
Kinda missing those pics
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| Sole Ride http://dirttreaders.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=16138 |
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| Author: | Ld00d [ Sun Jan 25, 2015 12:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Sole Ride |
As one ages one acquires new pain in places. Sometimes that manifests in lower back pain. Sometimes it's arthritis. This time it's foot pain, or as I have self-diagnosed, plantar fas... plantar fasi .. aw fuck it. It's foot pain. My foot hurts, so I'm not able to run for exercise. This morning when I woke, I figured I could just do the standard (boring) fixed-gear road ride down the bike path, or I could air up my knobbies and go for a fun ride. What resulted wasn't the best ride, but it was a good ride. I have chastised others in the past for wearing headphones on the trails. There's so much music to be heard out there. At the tip top of the hike-a-bike entry from Carmel Creek there stand a series of iron giants. They stand there tirelessly humming their tune. There isn't much to the melody, but there something about it that's so soothing and meditative, and I try to provide accompaniment with the rapid inhalation and exhalation of air through my burning lungs. As I re-mount my steed (on a steel horse I ride), I take in the landscape. I imagine a Mars rover is closing in on the first signs of complex life. I must make my way through undetected. Not much has changed in this place. The trails are a little more rutted. The same deep horse-foot shaped bike treads decorate the otherwise smooth ruts. As I pass a school named for falls that are nowhere to be found, I greet a hiker with a friendly "good morning" to which I receive a reply what sounds more or less like a grunt you may hear from a warthog -- not an A-10, but the animal. I imagine this must be the friendliest of greetings this Earther could manage. Not much happens on this ride from here on. I encounter other riders, folks taking their 4 legged beasts for the morning constitutional, and a crew of trail runners from the local university. Power lines come into view indicating that my lungs will do some more singing. I see a crew of three riders who I will try to beat up the slow climb. This is the way to exercise. What have I traded for the convenience of a quick burn? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? As the three slog their way to the crest of the climb, one congratulates me on the good job in his British accent. I want to brag that I'm on a single speed, but really, it was nice of him to say anything, and I shouldn't be smug. Pretty much anyone else out today could have beaten me up that hill. Now I'm at the crossroads. Nobody seemed to know me. Everybody passed me by. I haven't even taken the turn towards tunnels since the closing. I figured it was a good day for some exploring. There are lots of mosquito farms -- I mean vernal pools -- about. They're framed in with carefully placed cobblestones, Which, for the shrimp, I'm sure are a surprise every time. And it's hard to say if they're happy, but they don't seem to mind. Signs, signs, everywhere signs. Oops! I took a wrong turn. I knew I should head toward the eucalyptus, but all signs were indicating the "trail" was the other way, so I wanted to see what riding on the "trail" was like. I never found it, incidentally. But, I did some exploring which hasn't happened for a while. I dropped down a super steep and somewhat windy fireroad. It was actually a nice view. Pretty exposed, but unless you're wasted, you're not flying off this 8 foot wide path. To my shock, there was another rider actually pedalling *up* this thing. The "trail" empties out to a small creek that had about a foot of water in it. Then, there's a hike-a-bike up and out (for me -- that other dude probably would have spun right up the damned thing). Now civilization is all around me. The freeway is in view, and so is Intuit, and so is all of the "progress" we've been making in this area. I could escape to civilization now, or continue on this path that seems to be taking me to Black Mountain. So, I continue. As I look at the freeway above me, I consider how many times I've seen this "trail" from up there and wondered where it went. I keep going, but my legs are burning, and it's time to exit. I climb out of the "wilderness" into a land of plastic fences, vacant playgrounds, and suburban assault vehicles. By now you may have realized I've included excerpts of song lyrics here and there. Some are more obvious than others. At this point in our story, I actually had a song in my head, and I don't know why, but it seems to fit. Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway. Cars passin' by, but none of them seem to go my way. New York City well I wish I was on a highway Back to Olympia Around this point, I pass a car with a sticker or license plate frame stating that their other vehicle is a warthog. I suspect they are *not* talking about the animal, and they are actually talking about the A-10. So now I'm back on the familiar bike path. It's like the lamest downhill ride ever. My tires are singing. I can hear the rubber burning off the knobs. I wish I brought my headphones. I'm an outlaw. I think I've demonstrated that thus far. So, I ride on the horse side of the trail. Ha! Take that, Authority! I'm wanted, wanted, dead or alive. At the door I'm greeted by my best friend. She laps up the sweat and dirt from my tired, sore legs. Life is good. |
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| Author: | OldDogDan [ Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Sole Ride |
Yes, it is. Thanks. |
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| Author: | OhNooo [ Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Sole Ride |
BRAVO!!! I felt like I was riding along with you. You need more dirt in your life if it has this effect on you. |
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| Author: | Dirtrider [ Sun Jan 25, 2015 3:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Sole Ride |
Thanks for taking me along on that ride by this post. I hope you shared a cold one with your best friend Kinda missing those pics
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| Author: | Canaan [ Sun Jan 25, 2015 4:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Sole Ride |
That post inspired me to get some sweat and dirt on my legs . . . my dog tells me it tastes like rabbits being chased by coyotes. |
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| Author: | Ld00d [ Mon Jan 26, 2015 10:27 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Sole Ride |
3000 more words Attachment: IMG_5571.JPG [ 2.82 MiB | Viewed 9876 times ] upside down and misfocused  Attachment: IMG_5573.JPG [ 2.63 MiB | Viewed 9876 times ] Attachment: IMG_5574.JPG [ 2.83 MiB | Viewed 9876 times ] |
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