Getting Back on the Horse

Depending on the year, January in the Gorge can be wintry and dreary, or if we are extremely lucky, we might be blessed with a January Thaw.

This year we've had both. Last week brought rain, snow, and then 4 glorious days of SUN. I took this opportunity to roll my bike out of the garage, dust it off, and get my arse back on that horse.

Which is never very easy after a two month hiatus. Forgotten muscles, that you thought cross-country skiing would nicely maintain, resurface and scream at you by the fifth minute of pedalling; forgotten technique and skill stowed away in the depths of your brain, forcing you to rely on muscle memory to do the job. And the heaving and huffing up the hill, gasping for air, the lungs too a giant biking muscle you thought was being properly worked cross-country skiing. Ah, but no: nothing works those biking muscles the way riding a bike does. Period. The first ride after a little vay-kay is, in a word, PAINFUL.

But so worthwhile. With temperatures in the 30's, and bluebird, sunny skies, and only a handful of people, the south-facing Syncline was at its best.

Two weekdays in a row, I pedalled up the double-track (ah, the joys of being self-employed, hee!) and descended what I like to call, our Area Classic (ok, that's a climbing term but it is appropriate for trails), Little Moab. Trail Conditions were perfect, just tacky enough to keep your tires where they should be, but not slimy enough to cause slide-outs. The long rocky sections (think Moab here, but miniature, and not sandstone... hence the name. A nice, but failed attempt at honoring the Utah mecca) were gorgeously dry and friendly, and totally droppable.

Yes, Yes. It made me yearn for summer, this little teaser of a week. Now we are chilled to the bone with highs in the upper teens. Sigh. Maybe next week?

Riders: Val, Tucker, and Lassie
Area: The Syncline, Bingen, Washington
Trails: Double-Track, Little Moab, Little Maui
Miles: A few. Who knows? I've never thought to keep track on that trail.
Highlights: Feeling the difference in biking fitness on ride #2. Grinning from ear-to-ear, putting the suspension to work on Little Moab's finest little drops.