Better?

After the race in Winder I was over being cold and wet, but mother nature wasn't through pissing rain.  The Kid and I bailed on the regular Tuesday MTB ride because it had started to rain (while Jim the Magnificent went on alone).  I rode the trainer Thursday while it rained outside the garage.  Then came Saturday, which was my scheduled test day on the bike.  Of course it was windy and sprinkling when I started off toward Bloxham Cutoff from the Trout Pond trail head.  I was in a foul mood.

This has nothing to do with this story, I just like it.

I will keep the results of the test to myself, needless to say they were nothing to brag about (or believe me I would).  On the cool down I wanted to explore some old moto trail behind the now abandoned Helen Guard Station.  Since it had been raining all week the sand was packed enough that I could ride the CX bike on the single tract, only having to walk a few short sections that sand had washed into the trail.

I must have stapled a million of those arrows up back in the day.

"This would be even better on the MTB" I thought as I pedaled along.  I wasn't paying attention to the direction I was going, I was just enjoying the ride, when I popped out onto a graded road.  "Oh, I know where I am" I said to myself.  After all I have an amazing sense of direction, plus I've ridden these woods for 20 years, I don't need to look at a compass.  I turned right.  I took the next section of single track that crossed the road but it soon became too soft, plus it was getting close to lunch, so I back tracked to the graded road.  Then I got a little confused.  With no sun out I had lost my sense of where I was.  I had to admit my ranger rick woodsman skills had failed me, I was going to have to rely on technology to get back to the truck.  I whipped out my phone.

I couldn't even see a paved road close to the little blue dot marking my location.  "This must be wrong" I thought, "I can't be that lost".  But I was.  The problem was exacerbated by the fact I didn't have my glasses with me and therefore was having trouble reading the road numbers.  Plus I had begun to distrust my phone.  I finally scrolled back far enough to find pavement and headed in that direction.  I came out opposite from where I wanted to be.  I still made my pizza and beer lunch on time but my usual confidence in my excellent directional skills was shaken.

I'll Have the 12" Please

Sunday was the first Sausage Fest Ride out of Bradley's Country Store.  I was still tired from Saturday, plus I was concerned with my test results.  I had the feeling I was not recovering good enough.  So what do I do?  I ride 66 miles on soft clay roads trying to keep up with the Power Rangers.  I would have dropped off earlier but I caught a draft from a passing truck that pulled me back on.  There is a shorter version of the route which I had fully intended to take but I got sucked into the thrill of being able to keep the front group in sight.  Besides my cue sheet had gotten soaked with muddy water which rendered it unreadable so I had to take the full route or risk getting lost (again).

Anyhoo, that hurt pretty bad.  Definitely not the smartest thing I've ever done.

I got a small amount of pleasure when one of the Power Rangers had to walk a couple of hills on the way in. 

One of the Power Rangers.  "Did I get dropped?"

Then the group that took the shorter (6") route was complaining about how hard that was.  I kept a poker face on while we had beers and sausage dogs, not wanting to show that bunch any weakness.

Anybody who beat Jim raise their hand.

35 Years

Sunday was also our Anniversary.  As Jim said "She is a saint to put up with you".  As usual he's right.  I put on my "I'm not too tired to go out" face and took the Lovely Wife out to eat that evening.  Proving that, yes, I am Iron Man.