May, May, May. You must have taken a shortcut to get here so soon. Well, at least well before I thought you were going to arrive. I've always had trouble being in the moment and as of late, the moments are even more fleeting. And, oddly enough, my way of slowing down is to speed through the woods on a bike, winding between trees, over rocks and roots, and splashing through streams. Accompanying May's arrival were a few days of 70 and 80 degree temps and bright sunshine. Away we go!
Dusk setting in at Green Lakes
Friday after work I went for the first ride of the season at Green Lakes. The trails were very dry for this early in the season. Good for riding, bad for food production and the water table. A friend and I ground our way up the hill out of the parking lot and then meandered through the parks trail system to the lake. I am pretty sure we crossed a former road I've never paid attention to before but early season fatigue, yeah, that's what I'll call it, required a mid-climb rest. The things you see when you rest for a moment.
The inability for my brain to shut off brought an early rise Saturday morning. While I lament the pre-8am exit from bed, it did mean more trail time at Shindagin. I arrived to find the parking lot full and about a half dozen cars along the side of the road. I suited up and hit the yellow trails, exploring some new ones and briefly becoming disoriented. I eventually wound up at the red trails and cooked along the chair trail. I discovered an unmarked but obviously biker made trail that again took me into uncharted territory. Unlike a lot of other things, I decided to check it out. It wasn't the most exciting trail but I guess you never know until you ride it.
I rode along to some of the blue trails, and made my way to IMBA, my favorite downhill at Shindagin. As it was the first ride of the season, I tried to keep things in check but sometimes its hard to... I think I had a runner I met coming up the trail a little nervous. After this loop, where I saw what I imagine was a group from the Cornell Outing Club, I was gassed and didn't feel like eating the pizza I brought. So instead, I did what was probably one of the most foolish nutritional activities I could have - I ate two PopTarts and drank a 20 ounce Pepsi. Good for short sugar rush, bad for stomach and energy crash. The rush gave me about another hour of riding, the crash brought me to my guttural knees. Some day, both in riding and my daily activities, I will figure out how to eat, or at least practice what I already know better.
It was really great to get out for almost 30 miles of trails this weekend. I really miss riding at Shindagin, and while it is more fun to have a riding partner so you can take it up a little and not be worried that it is only you who can get you out, I kept things to a level where I was able to enjoy the trails. I kept rubber side down the whole day, and aside for a minor brush with a tree, all things were intact at the end of the ride. Well, everything except for the cover on my shifter. Not sure where that is or if I can get a new one, but I hope I don't have to buy a whole new set of shifters. This is becoming the year of the bike repair. The rebuilt pedals work great, though.
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