[vash]

ok..i am kidding. i am too old, too slow, to "big boned".

BUT, i walked past my roadbike this morning and jumped on my mountain bike. i rode several miles to get to a trailhead. quick sip of water and i started the grind up. all that road riding seriously takes the pain out of spinning up a hill in the dirt. i didnt give my granny gear any love until the switchbacks at the top. knee was feeling great..then i got lost in the oak tree canopy. i kept going up until i heard voices.

great..a bunch of high school kids on mountain bikes. i asked them where the eff i was..and one guy said we were near the top (some tower). he then told me there are five ways down and tried to explain it. he ended it with..ride with us to the top and i'll just show you. his friend said, "yea, follow us old man". hahahah..first time i've been called that. i replied with, "yea..whatever. at least i didnt need my mommy to buy me my mountain bike" we laughed and took off. it was fun and i am lucky i didnt snap a hip. i kept up with the group of punks..got my bearing at the top..and flew down.

i have forgotten the siren's song of a downhill single track...root balls to get "air". scooching down off the back of my seat to push my front tire down some rut mathematically too steep to succeed..it was so much fun.

bottom line. i think mountain biking is better exercise for me than my roadbike. i was huffing and puffing, heart beat waaaay up there..sweating rivers. i'm doing it again tomorrow.

there were wild turkeys everywhere. i made gobbling noises with my mouth an inadvertently challenged a flock. i can do a "brack brack brack"with my mouth that mimics a hen in heat. they came running!! all puffed up. i got nervous and blasted off..hate to get my butt spurred by a tom turkey. awesome day!

good to be alive.