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July 9, 2018: To Nap or Not to Nap, that is the Question

I am doing battle right now with my get er done and my to hell with it selves. It’s a 50-50 proposition. The dog needs a hike. At the same time, I am really tired, mainly because I got up really early again. We were to meet Sarah at the Borough Parking Lot at 10 a.m. and go for a ride. We got there at 10:04 a.m and she was a few minutes behind us.

We had another amazing ride. We started out on wooded trails, and then we were on the river for a bit. It was extremely windy. We then crossed some very blowsy water, and then resumed riding on the river bed. We were going to go farther upriver, but fortunately Sarah suggested we turn around, so we rode some on the river bed with the wind at our backs.

Alys at Taylor Park
Alys at Taylor Park

At one point, the wind was so strong that visibility was limited. But I could see the ATV’s. One, two, three, four, five, followed by a dirt bike and then a 4-wheel drive truck. Raudi was quite calm as were Spiffy and Hrimmi. Right then, I thought, none of this is bothering Raudi, but then she dealt with strong winds in the San Louis Valley and with hundreds ATVs at Taylor Creek in Colorado.

It was at this point in time that I began thinking that perhaps I should call this the ride from Hell. But this didn’t seem apt to me because it was not at all terrifying or even unpleasant. Conversely, it was not the ride from Heaven because the sun wasn’t shining. And it wasn’t the ride from Limbo because Limbo is where the unbaptized baby souls are sent. I then considered calling it the ride from Purgatory because Purgatory is like one stop shopping. You either find or don’t find what you are looking for, and then move on.

Actually, the final portion of the ride, which is the last two miles, WAS the ride from heaven. We rode on this side trail that is exclusively for horses and not for ATVs. It was a well maintained single track with a multitude of twists and turns.

I was and still am thankful to whoever put this in, and I will find a way to thank them. The ATVers have use of most of the other trails, and so to have a trail you can ride and not have to be thinking about them is (at least on my part) so very appreciated.

Raudi, following Spiffy, stayed motivated the entire ride. Spiffy has this amazing fast walk – Raudi has figured out how to keep up – she goes at a fast walk, and when she falls behind, trots back up to her rightful place, a few yards behind Spiffy.

I am now light years from where I was a month ago. I’m now feeling more confident about riding with others and about riding on questionable terrain. I think I am going to forego the nap and get the dog out. This is obviously a huge mental heave ho.

Next: 191. 7/10/18: Twenty Miles

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