go native

How is a Sunday morning best spent? Clowns will waggle their red rubber noses over this for all time, but here at CotSRHQ, well, the answer is given.

It is some riding!

Today was the inaugural ride of the local juniors club (as per Carmel High), and it was an inauspicious event. 1 member of the club attended; this, in spite of the fact that one of my roommates is a (not the attending) member. Adding to the pungent mix was a duo of likely comers, S___ and D_____, fronting Carmel Middle School mightily armed with fierce determinations and special dispensation. J______ represented the Elementary as well as could be asked of a 20" in a 26" world. I won.

Wildly varying levels of speed and endurance make for a hucklebuck progression of fits and starts. We took the by now familiar route from Parker Flats Cutoff to the Caprock, via the New Stairs and Mudhen Express. D and J opted to remain at the Caprock while S and C and meself rode #50 to #49. The 2 of them hemmed and hawed when asked if they wanted to climb up some more (for some good DH payoff!) and I decided for them.

I decided we'd climb some more- they'll learn- and go get some from #82. You should have heard them fuss. Ruffled feathers on the top of the admittedly exposed/hot climb to #82. Wet hen style. Turned those frowns upside down with a speedy drop (including an exciting! crash for C).

I out-climbed them so's I could privately drink a beer from under the Caprock while they huffed and puffed their way up #50. CanNOT have the junior cycling club knowing everthing there is to know about that place...

On the return, all the little piggies opted for the road, but still demanded Blair Witch. I lik their style- pooped, but unwilling to allow that detail to derail the Fun riding. All in all, we: saw a fair number of people, found a 7" section of smoothly articulating, bleachy clean, snake spine (with many ribs still attached), followed wind-strewn pieces of shed snakeskin to a hole into which more shed skin disappeared, caught and handled a red Racer Snake, got musked by same, rope swang, bike rode, and picnicked.

Maybe it was auspicious...I try to foster the possibles with these kids. Thinking of the P_____ V_____ High guys' overnight tour to Monterey, thinking of backcountry to and beyond Arroyo Seco, putting bugs in their ears...