Easy-going Sunday Morning

The three of us climbed up the ridge, taking our time, en route to arguably Michaux’s best downhill.  Long, winding, and riddled here and there with big rocks and fat log crossings, momentum never really is lost and the hootin’ and hollerin’ of  the internal voice is constant.

We made way back up the ridge via the forest road and on over and up farther to the fire tower before descending down the other side of the ridge on a gradual gradiant back to the car.

2.5 hours of easy-going life.

 

Epic Stormin’ Michaux

Six hundred miles of driving and near 365 days of abstinence had me primed for a rendevous with my beloved.  I was eager for some mind/body/soul action.

The digital red numbers on the clock read 5:13.  I had gone to bed 5 hours before, after driving 9.5 hours from Hoosier-lands to PA-landscape.  Along the way, I received text messages from a friend hiking in the high Sierra above Yosemite.  Could there be any any greater polar opposites than the mechanized flatness of agri-business Indiana/Ohio and the rugged, raw natural beauty of John Muir’s true home?

Subie swung its hind end around the curves of the forest road, easing to a stop at the trailhead by Long Pine Reservoir.  I turned the ignition off, and simultaneously, the rain started falling. 

Damnit.

Omen?

 A non-believer, other than in the possibility of human love, I changed into my riding clothes, took the Scalpel off the roof, shaked and shivered a little from the cold morning rain, and clipped into the pedals.

“Start out on the res…ride it out and go from there.”

Michaux isn’t far from major nuclei of people.  The potential for it to be overrun with recreationalists is high.  However, it might not be urbane enough to attract those needing cell phone signals or hot water showers and toilets that flush and smell like chemical cleaners. 

The rain fell, and I warmed up as I swung around to the spillway and entered the trail.  Is there nirvana beyond riding singletrack on a rainy morning through pines where the only sound is your bike slicing through trees and your breathing?

Two boats were on the water, fisher people out early as well.  Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rolled around the mountains.  A storm was upon me, and smiled in the fore-knowledge that I was not going back to the car.

Beaver Trail was a little overgrown with rhodos, and with the torrential downpour, already making for an epic ride.  Somehow the tires locked up on the rocks, giving me more confidence, despite the gnarley, slimey roots that skidded out my back tire.

On I went, determined to join Mother Nature in her offering of cleansing.

North on Birch Run and east on Ridge Road, up the hump and the down on to one of my favorite little downhills.  The trail was a rivulet, feeding feeder streams that drained into the reservoir, or the Chesapeake via the Potomac. 

Everything on my body was soaked, and my shoes swished with water.  I grinned from ear to ear.  Why had I not ventured in the mad rain in the past? 

Michaux is remote enough for wet, soggy mountain biking without worry of messing up trails like at park trail systems.  If you ride Michaux, you’re expecting an ass-kicking, which keeps many riders away.

I made way back to my car and kept going.  Twenty minutes later I was at the powerline cut and climbed up it.  Then on to an intense rocky downhill on a trail that became a mountain stream.  I then bottomed out and climbed up on to the ridge on the backside of the reservoir. No dabs on the climb made my ride for the day.

Meandering on, I heard voices in my head as turtle shell and shark fin rocks tried to break my spirit…

“This is the best Michaux ride you’ve ever had.”

“Michaux is epic all the time, but EPIC in a storm.”

More lightning and the thunder rolled closer.  I came to one of my favorite drops, one that requires leaning way back, holding on and finding faith in the Lefty.  

Cleaned it.

I eventually dropped out back at the reservoir, hearing the rush of water over the spillway while strong-arming  it through the rocks and boulders above.  I took the same trail as 2.5 hours previously, Subie sitting with 203,000 miles on her waiting patiently for my return.

Covered in Appalachian sandstone grit, I walked over to the stream, found my way to a secluded spot, stripped down and washed my clothes and body in post-ride bliss.

Cleansed.

 

I Like Rocks

Haven’t been on a bike since last Friday night.  Resting legs all week … taking it easy … laying low for a weekend of mtbing at Michaux. 

Back to PA for the folks’ 40th Anniversary celebration.  That is amazing.

Early morning rides up and down the rock-infested ridges of the northern extension of the Blue Ridge will be my soul-breakfast.

Got a head start on the carbo loading with…

FFF Blackheart English Style IPA

Will reload at KClingers.

 

Save PA’s State Parks–MTB

This (below) comes by way of DirtRag Mag.  The Wilderness 101 is epic riding outside of State College (Penn State).  I haven’t found out yet if Michaux, or its 3 state parks, are in jeopardy.  I’ll be there this weekend, and will find out.  Even in you’re not a PA resident, you can send a letter.  Change up the wording a bit and find an office to send it to.  If you want to support keeping the Wilderness 101 alive, contact the legislators in Centre County.  For Michaux enthusiasts, contact the legislators in Adams, Franklin and Cumberland Counties.

http://www.dirtragmag.com/blogarific/save-pennsylvania-parks

The Pennsylvania Senate’s current budget plan (Senate Bill 850, now in the House as Bill 1416) reduces the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) budget by about $19 million beyond the reductions Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed in February.  If enacted, DCNR acting Secretary John Quigley said the Senate proposal will force the agency to close at least 35 state parks and 1,000 miles of state forest roads. The move would would significantly reduce access for anglers, hunters, hikers and bikers.

Quigley noted that the Senate’s proposal would be devastating to many rural areas that count on tourism dollars, and that it would harm DCNR efforts to preserve natural resources for present and future generations.

“In contrast, the Governor’s budget proposal reflects the difficult economy we now face and would still allow us to provide a quality outdoor experience for our citizens and visitors,” Quigley said, also noting that closing 35 state parks would turn away more than 3 million visitors and wipe out at least $57 million in visitor spending on products and services in nearby communities.

Take action by contacting your state legislators and letting them know that you support an equitable review off all state programs, and that state parks and forests are critical to the economic well being of the state and the health of its citizens.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) offers the following “starter letter” that you can personalize and send to your state legislators:

Please Fully Fund State Parks

Dear [Decision Maker],

As a mountain biker, I support strong funding for our state parks. Senate Bill 850 and House Bill 1416 could close between 35 and 50 state parks because of drastic cuts to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources budget.

The list of closures centers disproportionately on the central region of the state, where the state parks are vital to tourism and local businesses. For example, every park that the Wilderness 101 ultra endurance race passes through would be closed. The State Forest system itself would need to close 20 percent of their forest road inventory to meet the proposed budget.

While I appreciate that in these tough economic times we all need to tighten our belts, I believe the Senate’s plan cuts a disproportionate amount from the DCNR budget. The proposal cuts the state park budget by 14 percent and the state forest budget by 30.5 percent (a 17-percent reduction to DCNR overall).

Thank you for considering my comments. I hope you’ll fight for stronger DCNR funding that will allow parks to stay open.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Address]

 

Herb Blossom Fresh

I ripped some cilantro from the pot

on the back stoop and threw it into

the heap of black beans and rice

I’m having with my 3rd glass of red wine

 

No ride this evening because we are having

tropical rains that got their gander up

overnight and have spilled their bowls

at intervals throughout this June day

 

I dream of orioles in trees and sharing love

as the day goes from spots of blue in the

overcast sky turning to stormy heavens and a

heavy rain that washes away the agony of dreaming

 

IN Vintage Wine Festival was highlighted by

front row–groupy like–experience of letting

go and bass speakers blowing the hair on my legs

from the Gin Blossoms sound taking us all back to…