Over the past couple months I've been working to perfect this art. The first time I got my bike on the rack, I was so exuberant I just had to take a ride somewhere, not in my yard. I begged one of my children to go with me, even though she didn't yet have a bike. I told her we'd pick up a friend for her!
We headed to the YMCA soccer complex. There were large rigs, it looked like the carnival had come to town. The crew was working on setting up the rides, there were lots of people (some rather rough looking) getting the place ready. I rode and rode around that thing, all the while looking for the famed "bike trail" that was supposed to be behind the complex. I couldn't spot it anywhere, but I did see where the pavement dipped off into an old gravel road. That surely must be it, I thought. After about 5 turns around the place and eyeballing that road, I decided to try it. There were men working near there, and I tried to look like I knew where I was going.
This was some steep road! Very rough, graveled, rivuleted road, immediately surrounded by deep woods and no sounds of civilization. Ever hear of the book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", by C.S. Lewis? It felt like I'd just stepped through the wardrobe into another world. "Wow!" I thought. "This is pretty rough!" It kept a steep desent, down, down, down! The more I rode, the rougher it got, and I thought I was gonna take a pretty bad spill more than once. I could hear things in the woods. Live, animal things. And little waterfalls - or I was hoping all that rustling was waterfalls (I was thinking bear at this point). I took this road for about half a mile, wondering when this "trail" was going to start back up - towards the complex. I saw another curve up ahead and still more downward layout, and I decided to stop.
I was scared by this time. I decided to push the bike back up, the road was so steep and rough. As soon as I started up, something HUGE flew out of the bushes to my right, and I ducked in fright! I saw the hind end of some big bird fly to the other side of the road into the trees. I tried running and pushing past that scary place, when two more GIANT flying things took off in the same direction! I later learned these were most likely wild turkeys. Of course, this info from my husband, who was excited I'd seen the turkeys. That's the hunter coming out in him. He loves wild things in the woods.
I pushed/ran for what seemed like forever. I came to one spot that was somewhat level and decided I HAD to get back on the bike and ride up the way I came down so I wouldn't look like a big baby who bit off more than she could chew. Of course I was, but noone else needed to know that.
I came riding victoriously out of that place, and boy, was I GLAD to be around people again! I saw my daughter and her friend coming toward me. "Mom!!! I was so worried! You waved at us every time you came around, and then, I didn't see you anymore! Where did you go? I thought maybe some of the scary circus people took you!!!" (She forgot it was a carnival.)
I later learned this trail was two miles of steep descent and not for the faint of heart. It would have put me out in a place called Glade Creek, which was definitely NOT the soccer complex. I found out where the real bike trail was. The end of it was in the wide spot where I climbed back on to my triumphant ride out of that wild and scary place. I was WAY off!!!
Tonight, I strapped on not only my own bike, but my two youngest daughter's (bikes, not the girls), and off we went for a little jaunt about 10 minutes from the house. I have to say, for a couple of teenagers, they sure were ready to quit a lot sooner than I expected. Oh well, after they've ridden Vomit Hill and maybe a few root ridden, rocky, rattlesnake trails, they'll be ready to hang with their ole mom!
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