A Couple Quiet Days

I never know what the week between Christmas and New Years is going to serve up - hiking, visiting, household stuff, or just plain being lazy - so when presented with a weekend before the big day, I couldn't let it slip by without putting some miles into my wheels. Both a Saturday dirt spin through Bonelli and a slow Sunday in town were exceptionally quiet. While some of the quietude might be attributed to fewer revelers in the park, fewer planes taking to the sky from Bracket Field, and a lack of motor craft on the lake, others were in some way illusory - the clouds which, as long as they are not the storm variety, seem to make things peaceful, the still waters of the lake, the sight of distant, and thus soundless, riders toiling along a hillside. Even though freeways convey motorists on hectic journeys along two sides of the park, it is like entering another world when the path dips down into the hollows between the hills.

still waters

climbing to this summit is an end in itself, but seeing how much effort people put into their messages is reason as well. It must have take quite a while to collect all those stones.

toiling riders

Back in the Village, Chirstmas, indeed the holidays in general, were winding down, a final few hours. Las minute shoppers, home cooks at the farmers' market searching out the perfect ingredients for the evenings family feast. Some lingering, but less than usual, much still to do, preparations to be finalized.

Now lets see what the remainder of the week has in store...