Swirling Through a Saturday

Resting up for Send it Sunday. I am pretty sure that is why I saw no other gravel bikes on the trails and, for that matter, no real mountain bikes either. I wondered if any of the people . in those cars driving up to Mt. Baldy noticed me grinding along up above them on the hillside and said something to whoever else might have been with them (or at least thought to themselves), something like damn, there's a trail up there. I wish I was riding that. I'll have to check it out. There was suddenly an unmistakable, and not too unpleasant, fragrance. Skunk. There's that couple with the baby in the stroller. Cool, cool. "Good morning." Not the first time I have seen them along there - must the their regular ritual, a little Saturday morning gravel walking. Did they see me turn around to follow coyote back there. It's cool, cool, but he wouldn't let me get a good photo today. Is that a ceanothus; it sure is covered in flowers, but the leaves don't look right. Whatever, the bees sure like it. Whoo-eee, that was fun! Dang it, I should have just ridden up the dam, I hate walking this part, huff, puff, huff, huff - what the? where'd they come from. I hate this part, all this broken glass; one slip and it'll mess you up. Whew! Made it, now the real fun begins. Dang man, look at all this crap, what's wrong with people dumping their stuff here! Ah, there are still song birds around. Think I'll listen a minute while I catch my breath. Huff, puff, huff, whew. What's with all the dog crap, just in back of this one house. Guess we know what the owner does with all the stuff left in his back yard. Up and over the wall. Whoops, "watch your line Sommers, watch your line."

Anyway, that was kind of along the line that my thoughts took me - swirling one way then another, sort of like that lone cloud up there. Swirling. 

And then things focused some and I wondered about the blurred edge between mountain and gravel. I have ridden both along these trails and I am not sure I favor one over the other. The mountain bike is far better geared for the climbs and, in some respects, I feel more confident on it. It seems more stable. But I am more likely to just bull right on through any obstacle on it, whereas on the gravel bike it is more about finessing the line. I remember back in the '90s when mountain biking was booming, all my friends were getting into it, and the general consensus was that mountain biking, made you a better at handler, the skill set would trickle down to your road riding. I suppose if that were true, then it must be doubly so for the relation between gravel and road. I don't know, I never really bought into that in the '90s, and am not so sure I do now. 

Ah, heck with it, i'm just gonna ride what I got, when I want, where I want. It's a lot like politics - thinking about it too much will just drive you 😜 crazy. So. I'm just gonna ride.

swirling

a little sunny color on a sunny day

#gaucho4life

old man coyote

choose your route

gabion in the wash

you just know that some homeowner up on the bluff smacks some ball out from his backyard

trail

bloomin'

I still see no natural way that those rocks ended up spaced like that

during the spring and summer I get used to returning home with yellow mustard flowers latched on to various parts of my bike; i wonder how long that little branch was there