Kudos! (Except for the lentil burgers.) I did enjoy reading it! Patrick Moore, too wimpy to camp in the ABQ bosque -- where it's illegal to do so, anyway.
On Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 9:07 AM, Mark Reimer <marknrei...@gmail.com> wrote: > The weather has finally been creeping above the freezing point for the > first time in almost five months, so I figured it was time to go camping! I > sent the word out on Friday afternoon for a 75km round trip ride the next > day. Sadly no one was able to join me at such short notice, so I decided > I'd head out on my own. > > The ride out started perfectly. No need for a jacket or long-johns, just a > flannel shirt, down vest and thin gloves. The sun was shining and snow was > melting. Things were feeling great. > > > <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n8W-VEX1lOM/VP2y4GdmxNI/AAAAAAAAKHU/thaG3o-qyu0/s1600/IMG_6417.JPG> > > > Winnipeg has a chronic flooding problem, so a large diversion has been dug > around the city to drain excess water in the spring. We refer to it as 'the > floodway'. Recently a bike path has been added about halfway up the banks, > creating a 50km long smooth path with relative shelter from the wind. This > heads toward one of our local treasures, Bird's Hill Park - a large > provincial park full of mountain bike and hiking trails, a small lake, and > extensive oak and spruce forests. My plan was to ride down one of the > trails until I found a suitable camp spot. > > > <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YuOG5GVt5ug/VP2ySs3U2FI/AAAAAAAAKHM/1aPUP0fC_Kc/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-2.jpg> > > > As I got closer to the park, clouds started to roll in and the temperature > dipped a bit. I started to get nervous that I hadn't prepared for a cold > night. My hands started to feel numb, starting at the finger nails. I beat > them on my legs to try and increase circulation. The path was starting to > get full of snow drifts as well, making riding more and more difficult. I > decided to leave the path and ride overland-style higher up where the winds > had blown the ground clean. > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3pSkwojAYXo/VP2zNOoFNdI/AAAAAAAAKHc/5ESQwh-VUUw/s1600/IMG_6457.JPG> > > > Following a few packed snowmobile tracks, I made it to the floodway > crossing. The setting sun was blocked by clouds, creating a beautiful blue > hue. Winnipeg means "Muddy Waters", so it was particularly nice to see the > floodway look so blue for once. > > > <https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-raDFqQr_Ggk/VP2zkBAUilI/AAAAAAAAKHk/XANwAb0qe30/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-5.jpg> > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D7kUPsNMCMc/VP2zq65C1FI/AAAAAAAAKHs/T4Nwytk2k80/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-6.jpg> > > > > <https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yTUBNuUsUIY/VP23BG2MN0I/AAAAAAAAKIo/kB7qQF5pPcQ/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-8.jpg> > > > I stopped at 'the 59er', a truck stop on highway 59 just before the park > gate. My hands were right frozen now, though the rest of my body felt good. > I managed to score a great pair of leather sheep-skin-lined gloves for $8 > (oh, I'm sure it's real...). My troubles were over, for now. > > > <https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s7r7UQvnCaQ/VP2z7MbgyuI/AAAAAAAAKH0/E90-Ow7YZFI/s1600/IMG_6460.JPG> > > I rode into the park and hit the first mountain bike trail I found, called > Burr Oak. It's a popular MTB trail and it looked like fat bikers had packed > it down nicely. I rambled through twisty oak forests for about 1.5 hours > looking for a spot to setup my tent. Everything was under a thick layer of > snow or full of dense underbrush. It started to snow thick, wet flakes and > I was starting to get wet. It was time to find a place to setup my tent, > and fast! > > > I was getting tired now and riding sloppy. The trail is one switch back > after another, making it difficult to navigate with a loaded bike and > fenders. I slipped on one corner and went down, covering myself in wet snow > from head to toe. Not good! Thankfully, about 2 minutes later I came across > a clearing with tall pine trees. One tree had large branches that had > somehow kept the ground below clear of snow. Perfect! And right next to it > was a dead tree so dry I could snap the branches off easily, meaning I had > a large pile of firewood in minutes. > > > > <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CDeN6MwiG-k/VP20zVQVYjI/AAAAAAAAKIA/haJS19bEs1w/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-9.jpg> > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8CKL8FlZDvg/VP21waO05uI/AAAAAAAAKII/LmlLmd1vp8s/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-10.jpg> > > > The wind and snow continued to pick up, making the fire unsustainable. By > 7:30, I was in my tent making lentil burgers with sautéed mushrooms and > garlic. I had stupidly forgotten my book at home, meaning I'd be facing a > long, dull evening alone in my tent. Cell reception was very spotty, so I > couldn't really communicate with anyone to pass the time either. For the > first time, I felt lonely. > > I've camped alone many times and always loved it, but it's always been > somewhere unfamiliar and in summer, meaning there is a lot to keep your > mind occupied. Laying in my sleeping bag wide awake, I heard farm dogs in > the distance barking for hours, the constant dull drone of farm machinery > miles away (bummer) and the odd owl and coyote (great!). I considered > packing up and riding home just to pass the time, but figured that would be > dangerous, not to mention giving up. > > Then suddenly I woke up and realized I had fallen asleep. It was 6am! I > pulled my boots into my sleeping bag for 30 minutes to warm them up. > Shortly after I had camp torn down and was back on the road. A thick fog > had rolled in over night, covering everything in hoar frost. The roads were > like glass, but it was oh so beautiful. I was so glad I had stuck it out or > else I'd have never seen this. > > > <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-umA4hD8YgbI/VP22PTwlxGI/AAAAAAAAKIQ/htxJJEZ3cIs/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-11.jpg> > An hour later the sun came up and burned the fog away. The roads turned to > slush and even fenders couldn't keep my bike from turning into a big pile > of crap. > > > <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3t6RMVfq_nw/VP22gw5QLCI/AAAAAAAAKIY/2fiy6Ppm3k8/s1600/BHP%2BMarch%2Bs24o%2B2015-13.jpg> > Three hours later I rolled into Little Sister Coffee for a saskatoon-berry > muffin and coffee. It was the perfect ending to what ended up being a great > over-nighter. > > > <https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pOROLWEohWg/VP22uF7eAyI/AAAAAAAAKIg/juGMrFnOd9k/s1600/IMG_6509.JPG> > Thanks for reading :) Hope you all had a great weekend of riding. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************* *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the rim of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Kinei hos eromenon. It moves as the being-loved. *Aristotle *The Love that moves the Sun and all the other stars. *Dante -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
