yesterdays ride...

...was great! If spending most of your ride descending steep, fast trails that dead end miles down and 1,500 vertical feet deep in a lonely river canyon sounds like a good idea, then you missed a good one yesterday. Forget the fact that the trails don't exist on your map. (or maps in our case) Forget the fact the you've spent the last 10 fall, winter and spring seasons riding down there and have never ever come across other trails that head in the direction you're about to. Forget that you're about to drag 5 innocent friends into this descent of possible doom and uncertainty.

It's always amazing to me how fast a bicycle will descend a fire road. Even the most beginning of beginners or the Junest of Junebugs can descend a fire road at a blistering pace. Pointing a bicycle downhill and "lettin 'er run" on an unknown trail is a commitment that each rider faces in his/her cycling career. Sometimes you're rewarded with new found trails but more times than not, you're forced into turning around, putting your tail between your legs and pedaling back out. The bicycle itself is ignorant to the fact that the trail may come to an abrupt and disheartening DEAD END at the bottom of a long steep hill. The bike doesn't care that you parked 15 miles away from this trail you decided to explore.... late in the day.... after you've eaten most of your food... drank most of your water.... and already used up a large portion of your energy.

Yea... yesterday's ride was great.