Misty Mountain Hopping

"... So i've decided what I'm gonna do now

So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains

Where the spirits go now

Over the hills where the spirits fly, oh, I really don't know"

can't see the top...

but the view through my glasses is even worse

there's the saddle

the high and open

normally Transmission Hill would be right there, with the twin peaks further back

the high and open of Johnson's Pasture

So I lied - it wasn't intentional and, until today, I truly believed what I said last week, what I said about that climb not getting any easier. Today I was proved wrong; I don't know if it was because of the cool air, the mist, the fact that I couldn't see the top and thus could not be tortured but the idea of how far away the top seemed to be but, the climb up Burbank Canyon was a breeze. It was one of those rare days in the Wilderness Park, the sun had given way to clouds, damp but not wet, quiet. I watched the mist being pushed up and over a ridge ahead of me, took note (more than once) of an unseen rapid rush of wings taking flight, nearby, but undercover of the veil, the grass and straw, finally, being pushed to ground by the weight of collected dew, tiny drops of mist drifting like flakes of snow and collecting on my arms. I felt the crunch of little flecks of granite between my teeth. I felt, after an absence of months, that unique Autumn midday coolness. Maybe more than anything else, though, I felt a certain connection to my bike, a fluidity of unison between us that has been lacking lately.

Have a great weekend folks. I would love to get to the music festival at Guasti, but didn't get tickets, and can't see as that they are available at the gate. Whatever you do make it fun.

there's your color - a little moisture really draws it out of the eucalyptus

the road up Burbank Canyon

years have mostly erased the freckles from my face, but a little mud spatter helps fill the gaps

top photo: Pointe of Pines Trail. lyrics: (Misty Mountain Hop, John Paul Jones, James Patrick Page, Robert Anthony Plant)