Let me back up a bit by telling you that he is a experienced mountain biker, while I am only a wannabe mountain biker. I may average 20 miles a day, but they are, in comparison, cinchy road miles. (It takes another kind of stamina entirely for real mountain biking.)
He'd like to one day take me to ride the Slick Rock trails in Moab - this frightens me since Mr. O reminds me it is not about speed or distance, but rather it's about the challenge and the ride. The ride, whuh? And that right there sums up our personalities.
He is far better about enjoying the ride (adventure and all), while I like clocking farther, faster rides (read: more calories burned, people).
Today showed me how much more I need to slowwwwwwwww down and enjoy the ride (all hellish heat aside). I was pretty much a whiner - "Holy hell, this is steep!" and "Gravel?!!" and also "I don't like surprises. You are trying to kill me." Okay, so maybe I was a bit of a brat, too.
But Mr. O just keeps riding. He is good to me.
And I will keep trying to be better to him.
After we rode down off the mountain, we headed for another new road route I hadn't been on.
We picked our way through a closed road covered in heavy machinery. Another couple had ignored the "Road Closed" sign and decided to try and drive across the newly spread road base.
Small problem: rear wheel drive. They got about 12 feet onto that uncompacted roadway and sunk the back end of their pick-up truck all the way to the tailgate. We arrived just as the tow truck was working its magic.
Both of them seemed to be in good spirits. I could take a lesson from them. I totally could.
Once we were back in town, the clouds moved in and cooled off our ride.
And do you know, I'm a lot nicer person when it's not so stinking hot.
I am thinking that is part of what makes Hell so awful. The heat.
I had better work harder on staying out of that place. All this to say,
Honey, I'm sorry I was so ornery. And now that I know what to expect on that trail, let's do it again. Only next time let's go when it's cooler and I will be a real peach. Promise.
