Sometimes when I’m riding bikes or driving I have long, uninterrupted strings of prose run through my head-complete in grammar and theme. I think to myself, “Man that is just how I want to write it down!”
Of course I never remember them, I think of them as the lost posts, oh well.
Yesterday was such a day, from the corned beef hash and poached eggs with rye toast- a breakfast perfect in flavor and culturally accurate- to the dry, dusty winds coming off Lake Talquin on a day so bright you can see through your eyelids.
The Lines Tract trail is rugged and woolly, unridden 364 days a year until the BRC invitational comes around again. Four of us responded to the call. We even got lost, or “turned around” after clover-leafing (appropriate to the day no?) for miles and miles. An edge of concern or panic crept in, as people were low on fluids and tired. Mystery and I were right at home. We promptly sat down and ate all the food, drank all our water and rode off in a random direction. That always seems to work.
3 hours of tough plowing in the woods was more than I deserved and almost more than I wanted, but I seemed to gain strength as the sun moved overhead and the heat kicked in.
The drive home. The Erykah Bahdu. The Bocci ball.
It was a perfect bluebird day.
-Juancho
They call them the bluebirds of happiness for a reason.
Sounds lovely.
I loved the “Mystery and I were right at home part.” Glad you have good instincts when you’ve consumed your reserves! 😉
Sounds like the kind of day that makes the expense and bike storage worth it.
Speaking of worth it, Sasquatch & Company is in a two week test phase of a shiny red tandem big enough for us all (6’4″/6’3″/6’1″/5’11”). So far there’s been a surprisingly good ride with the son, no ride at all with the daughter, who just rolls her eyes, and, how can I put this?, a less than satisfying ride with the wife. There was whining about the seat and other various discomforts, nagging about the speed, and various grunts and exhalations of misery and disapproval. The best part was the predictable “conversation” at the end about which came first — her control issues or my recklessness. I can’t wait to do it all over again this evening!!
Your recklessness duh.
I got your bike storage. You were probably at Dairy Queen in Ocala.
Oh, Sasquatch. Whatever made you think that a husband and wife should ride a tandem together? I could have spared you the frustration. A ride through Central Park turned a nice vacation into a throw-down. And yes, he was reckless and I’m a control freak. Why do guys like the be the one directing the tandem bike-because THEY are control freaks, too. And no, jumping curbs on a tandem is not fun for the person in back.
S’quatch, sounds like your daughter is the one in the family who has the most sense. Put her in charge of the checking account while you’re at it. 😉
The only time my wife and I ever came close to breaking up was after a canoe trip, from the trees on one side of the river, to the other.
I ride the bikes to get a breather from them, and to give them one from me.
Never forget what George from Seinfeld said; “The two worlds have to stay separate…they can’t collide!”
I always admired couples with the same interests….kinda?
w.b.
My lovely wife and I passed on the tandem kayaks… two singles seemed like a much better idea. And they were (at least until the kids came along… now they just sit in the garage gathering dust, waiting for the little tykes to learn to swim!)
This does remind me of the infamous Montana duo Steve and Steve, who would bomb hell-for-leather on a custom tandem mountain bike. I never heard them talk about “control issues”… Juancho? any stories?
C.T.
Revealed Secrets:
The secret to Lines Tract navigation:
Take EVERY right turn. (or left, if you’re going the other way.)
The secret to Tandem Wife Rides: DONT
Just ride with the kids, and don’t let the wife know how/where you went.
Any more secrets needing revelation?
Oh…God is dead.