an unresponsive power trance

In answer to questions: yes or no, it depends. Etc.



A bike campout is available to you, even (especially?) on a weeknight. Just takes mixing the ingredients at hand. From here

to over here,

which is a new-to-me trail! It looks like it was laid in by motos. That's ok by me...it is just a little connector, but it is dirt so I'll happily welcome it.

It is a mix of dirt and pave to reach the goods. Pave takes me to the liquor store, where I make damn sure the bike (looking right at home, as a hobomobile) is visible and "locked", which here means the front wheel is toe-strapped to the downtube. It's enough to prevent a smooth get away. Across the street are the burritos, where they recognize me and my order. I gather they don't get that many polite hobos who tip. The quick and easy. It's just a climb away.


I brought the clippers along for some minimal trail cleaning. Solo rides are the time for this, after all.  The temptation is always to keep hacking, to "improve" lines. I resist it. I cut out that one ugly manzanita ankle grabber, that one spiky oak branch that used to reach down and smack me in the face by the shrine, and (always) any poison oak nearing the trail. Otherwise, I leave those trails as tight as they can be. I like it like that. Maritime chaparral for all my friends!

 

I planned to show up at the secret spot before dark, so's I could set-up in the light. I figured on trying the hammock out for real, after all this time. Mission accomplished.

So, this was a test of the new new. The wheel size that time forgot worked OK. Apparently there was some confusion as to my conclusions, so: sure, smoke em if you got em but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Hype. But and so the baskets. The baskets would not remount cleanly with the new/larger wheels, so I jury-rigged them and DAMN they suck. Weight outside of the wheelbase is not your friend. So much wiggle. I thought "what the heck, I have them and they're useful and how bad could it be? it's just a townie." and just plain NO. Sooooooo much wiggle. I stopped and put some toe strap cinches on there, and repositioned the load as far in the front as possible and all that. There was a lot of hate. Soooooooooooooooooo much wiggle. The water bag especially is a real nice thing to have loaded in your frame, where you keep your center of gravity.

 I strung up the hammock and hung up the pack to keep the critters out of my burritos.

Trail riding and beer drinking. On and on. I like to rally freshly set up trails and find that perfect flow. I like to sit in the dark and listen quietly. Opportunities for both by turns.

The hammock? It was surprisingly great. I really liked it. I set it up real low, because in my experience rotten shit is always happening and I'd hate to awaken falling from a great height. It was very comfortable! I was a little chilly and I feel like I woke more than I would have on the ground, but who ever sleeps continuously, alone in the woods, whatever the posture?

Good Times. From there, I rode in to work. Now you know.

P.S. When I got home this evening, what do you think the 1st thing I did was?