Two Weeks Without a Bike Part 2

So the first few days of no riding not a big deal. With a nine month old, and a teen who plays select softball my dance card is always pretty full. So I can chalk those up to “I was not going to ride even if I had access to my bike.” We did get to one of those first days were we could have at least ridden the trails and my wife Sarah stopped herself from saying “we should go for a ride” realizing I did not have my bike and knowing it was a kick in the dick. So as the days passed I really, really wanted to ride and get my adrenaline fix, even just a ride on the bike path would do. To explore the dirty trails and sweat my ass off is what I wanted to do. But all that was squashed by a busy bike shop who had my Raleigh Talus held in maintenance purgatory.

In a weekend of lawn mowing, yard work and cleaning up the house as well as other parental duties my wife Sara and I both share, another weekend without a bike to ride was on its way to being a less than exciting one. It’s not that anytime with the wife and kids isn’t good, I love spending time with them, but time on the bike trail would be a hell of a lot more exciting than mowing the lawn. My wife suggested a nice walk down in a park close by called Powder Valley, which is part of the Missouri Conservation trails,

Powder valley is a nice walking trail with hills and valleys and on this hot humid weekend day the canopy cover of the trees above.

 

Granted as humid as it was I was still drenched out there but at least not cooking in the sun.

 

 

Growing up in a City in Massachusetts I was never much of a woods type person, but since my panic at 40 or what we will call it, I have fallen in love with the woods. The sounds, the trees, the smells. 

 I can do without the bloodsucking bugs but otherwise no matter what I am doing out there sweating my ass off walking or biking it is a nice peaceful break from the real world. So Sarah our daughter Julie and I walked from the parking lot over the bridge and onto the trail.

 

Hearing the chirping of the birds, the rustling of the leaves with the very small amount of breeze and in some areas the trickle of water is wonderful.

But time to be able to talk about what has been on each of our minds and joke around without the responsibilities of adulthood is a nice break. We don’t usually sit down at a dinner table so to be able to walk and talk is always nice. Sometimes it is a walk with not much going on and I can’t speak for Sarah but for myself I am taking it all in. Looking at my wife and our 9 month old as she seems amazed by the surroundings.

As we walked through the woods we spotted a deer trotting through the woods, saw a gnarly tree that looked like tumor hanging from it, as I imitated Arnold from Kindergarten cop “It’s Not A Tumah!”

We continued on and noticed a little yappy dog. He or she was on and off the trail, almost following us. We could see it had an electric collar on its neck as well as a tag. The electric fence was either not on at this dog’s home or the dog is as stubborn as our own mutts when it comes to staying in the yard. On our way out we contacted the park rangers and they went to get the dog. Don’t know if they ever found the owner but our walk took my mind off the rigors of the day and was a fun way to pass the time without my bike.