More Dirt

I realize that all of my posts for the last two weeks have been of the MTB variety. I'm not sure why I get into cycling moods like this. For some reason, I'm not as interested in posting about a commute these days. But riding these trails gets me more energized recently. Yesterday, after a morning of rain, I headed out again.

We did get a good amount of rain, so the double track I had ridden just two days earlier looked like this. It did make things a bit more interesting. I wasn't able to get much speed. So any workout I got came from climbing.

Since my previous routes were pretty gummed up with mud, I looked for some new places to ride.

I stumbled upon a dirt bike track. There were huge tire tread marks, revealing that this was no bicycle. Then I found several dirt mounds used for jumping.

As I made my way around the loop, I eventually rode up on some houses. Soon enough I saw a little trail leading back to this fence. Apparently, this family is serious enough about their riding that they've built quite the trail system right out of their back yard. Pretty cool for the kid that lives here. Honestly, I have no idea if I was on the park's property or if it was private property. I'm getting the vibe that no one knows or cares back here. There's a whole lot going on in a whole lot of wooded land.

I eventually made my way back to the creek. I had brought some coffee to end my ride with a little refreshment.

 I found a little rock to sit on while I enjoyed 12 ounces of hot goodness.

A year ago, I would have said this little park was pretty lame. Honestly, if you stay within the limited boundaries of what you see, it is only about 30 minutes of riding. But recently, I've been discovering more and more beauty and opportunity on two wheels. And, to be honest, I just love how this stuff is available within city limits. You could look at the first three photos in this post and not be able to tell where in the world I was. I kind of get that feeling when I'm riding the Troll on dirt.

With the baby due any minute, I'm a little more tethered geographically. I don't want to take off in the kayak and have no cell reception. I can't leave for a long ride on the Cross Check. But being able to feel remote has it's advantages. And that feeling sure does put me in a better mood.

Get out there.