I finally got my kayak out for the first time yesterday. I've been neglecting it terribly since last year. Getting the new bike last year got me all excited about cycling, not to mention that it's vastly easier to throw the bike on top of the car than it is the kayak. I think I had the boat out about a half dozen times last year, compared to close to 50 bike rides (which is a pittance to the serious cyclists out there). It's been so long since I last paddled that I had to stop and actually remember how to tie the boat on the car.
It felt great once I was out on the water, though. I launched late afternoon on the Monocacy River at the aquaduct, near where it joins the Potomac, and paddled upstream to the Rte 28 bridge. The little rapid there was too rough to paddle through upstream and I didn't feel like dragging the boat, so that was my turnaround point. Heading back downstream, I practiced some low brace turns (a very elegant turn that's fun to do), then headed out onto the Potomac. Ended up anchoring myself against a log sticking above the surface midstream, releasing the seatback, and lying back to chill out for a while. Late day, watching rays break around the edges of cloud that had passed in front of the sun while listening to the water trickle along under the hull of my boat... All in all, a damned nice way to spend a couple of hours.
May 20, 2007
May 15, 2007
My intro to singletrack riding
This past Sunday, my cyclocross bike and I took the plunge and I had to change my mind about mountain biking.
For years, I've been conflicted about mountain biking. Having seen a lot of the trails I hike turn into sidewalk-wide mud pits due to being plowed up by knobby tires, having been disturbed on peaceful rambles by the shouted conversations of mtb riders whizzing by on the trail, and having almost been run down once or twice, I've generally felt that bikes should not share trails with hikers and equestrians. There's one park in my area (Schaeffer Farms) that was developed by local mtb associations and that's primarily, unofficially reserved for bikes. That's fine. I've been happy to keep my feet off their trail if they keep their tires off mine. But, at the same time, being a biker in addition to a hiker, I could kind of understand the appeal of mountain biking. I've ridden for years along the C&O Canal towpath and loved every dusty, muddy, rocky, gorgeous mile through the trees along the Potomac River.
I did give mountain biking a try once about a dozen or so years ago. My ex-boyfriend, whose total experience with bikes really revolved around a (probably stolen) bmx, decided one day that we should try out the trails at Schaeffer Farms. All I really remember of the ride is being so busy looking at the scenery that I kept running into things. That ride pretty much convinced me that the whole mtb thing probably wasn't my cup of tea.
Since buying a cyclocross bike (Specialized Tri-Cross) last year that can supposedly handle a variety of terrain, I've been wanting to test it's abilities. It's excellent on the towpath. It's capable on the road (can't keep up with most of the other women I ride with, but that's partly the bike's limitations and partly mine). The only thing left was singletrack. Finally, this past weekend, some of my riding buddies dragged me around the DC Beltway to Rosaryville State Park for a spin on 10 miles of fairly simple trail.
It was a blast. We took it easy, averaging about 7mph and taking lots of breaks to re-group &/or catch our breath. I found, though, that it was really surprisingly easy. Granted, it's rated as a beginner/intermediate trail and I avoided log obstacles and walked one stream crossing, but I was able to keep up most of the time with the more experienced, stronger rider who was leading us. The bike's gearing handled the rollercoaster hills just perfectly (though my forearms cramped up from squeezing the hell out of the brakes on downhills). By the time we hit the halfway point, I had figured out the rythm of the trail, using the little humps like a slingshot to propel the bike up larger rollers, and guiding it around tree roots and curves with my shoulders and hips instead of the handlebars. And, of course, the woods and meadows the trail passed through were beautiful, albeit a tad blurred. I also had a moment of validation. At one point, a couple of young guys pulled up on the side of the trail to let us pass. As I approached them, I heard one of them say "A 'cross bike. Cool!"
So now I'm hooked. I don't see myself ever bombing down a hill or across a stream, and I definitely don't see myself climbing over logs, but I can see me and the Tri-Cross flowing along a swoopy, smooth trail like Rosaryville pretty frequently. Which makes planning where to ride on my day off just that much more difficult. Toooo many options
For years, I've been conflicted about mountain biking. Having seen a lot of the trails I hike turn into sidewalk-wide mud pits due to being plowed up by knobby tires, having been disturbed on peaceful rambles by the shouted conversations of mtb riders whizzing by on the trail, and having almost been run down once or twice, I've generally felt that bikes should not share trails with hikers and equestrians. There's one park in my area (Schaeffer Farms) that was developed by local mtb associations and that's primarily, unofficially reserved for bikes. That's fine. I've been happy to keep my feet off their trail if they keep their tires off mine. But, at the same time, being a biker in addition to a hiker, I could kind of understand the appeal of mountain biking. I've ridden for years along the C&O Canal towpath and loved every dusty, muddy, rocky, gorgeous mile through the trees along the Potomac River.
I did give mountain biking a try once about a dozen or so years ago. My ex-boyfriend, whose total experience with bikes really revolved around a (probably stolen) bmx, decided one day that we should try out the trails at Schaeffer Farms. All I really remember of the ride is being so busy looking at the scenery that I kept running into things. That ride pretty much convinced me that the whole mtb thing probably wasn't my cup of tea.
Since buying a cyclocross bike (Specialized Tri-Cross) last year that can supposedly handle a variety of terrain, I've been wanting to test it's abilities. It's excellent on the towpath. It's capable on the road (can't keep up with most of the other women I ride with, but that's partly the bike's limitations and partly mine). The only thing left was singletrack. Finally, this past weekend, some of my riding buddies dragged me around the DC Beltway to Rosaryville State Park for a spin on 10 miles of fairly simple trail.
It was a blast. We took it easy, averaging about 7mph and taking lots of breaks to re-group &/or catch our breath. I found, though, that it was really surprisingly easy. Granted, it's rated as a beginner/intermediate trail and I avoided log obstacles and walked one stream crossing, but I was able to keep up most of the time with the more experienced, stronger rider who was leading us. The bike's gearing handled the rollercoaster hills just perfectly (though my forearms cramped up from squeezing the hell out of the brakes on downhills). By the time we hit the halfway point, I had figured out the rythm of the trail, using the little humps like a slingshot to propel the bike up larger rollers, and guiding it around tree roots and curves with my shoulders and hips instead of the handlebars. And, of course, the woods and meadows the trail passed through were beautiful, albeit a tad blurred. I also had a moment of validation. At one point, a couple of young guys pulled up on the side of the trail to let us pass. As I approached them, I heard one of them say "A 'cross bike. Cool!"
So now I'm hooked. I don't see myself ever bombing down a hill or across a stream, and I definitely don't see myself climbing over logs, but I can see me and the Tri-Cross flowing along a swoopy, smooth trail like Rosaryville pretty frequently. Which makes planning where to ride on my day off just that much more difficult. Toooo many options
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