It’s cold and windy, and those were my excuses to not go – but it’s a new year and I’m not gonna start by making excuses. Let’s get to it!
I talked myself into a short ride. Something simple that I’ve done several times, even with the kids. A short gravel 8 mile ride.
But then you see a trail that you haven’t ridden down and think, why not? That trail leads you to a golf course, and you think, huh, weird, why? You see a golfer looking for her ball to the side of the green, and you tell her you see if much further into the brush. With thanks, you continue up this little road/track, until it lands you at the golf course maintenance area. Now where?
So you pull up the map and decide since you’re here, you might as well try a trail just across the road you haven’t explored. And it’s fantastic! But you decide to take a detour to a destination you can tell the kids about. But part of you wishes you had stayed on that fantastic trail. Upon reaching said destination, you decide, ya know, I’m gonna head back and just finish that trail.
What you don’t know, is that fantastic trail turns into a tricky single track through the woods, and takes a huge amount of effort to complete. But you’re in it now, no turning back, so you press on.
Getting to an intersection of two trails, you again consult the map, and decide, if I head back now, the short way, I’ll be around 18 miles, and that’s sad, it’s like a failed 20 mile trip. Close but not quite. So you decide on the longer distance to get back to the main park road.
By now it’s getting late, the sun is headed for the horizon, and sure you have lights, but that road you came up on after the golf course is a bit dicey for bikes, especially in the dark. So once again, you opt for a single track ride through the woods, leading to the top of a hill and a beautiful reservoir. Windy is no descriptor worth using. The descent back down required no brakes, something you laugh about as you begin to almost move backwards.
But you did it. Your short ride turned into a fantastic 20 and a half mile memory filled adventure.
Go get it! Oh and while you’re out there, if you find some downed branches, clear them up. Leave it better than you found it 🙂
by dchap1