No one got lost!

Yesterday was a great day for riding. A light dusting of snow on the ground and I had not ridden my 29er in about 6 weeks, I think it missed me. Between cross racing and some tlc for it, it just didn't make it out of the house. The tlc was well worth it. It was returned to the womb to get refinished from top to bottom - b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l!! I also sent the shock out to get refurbished and some adjustments made, new shim stack and new rebound spring primarily. It performed as anticipated - a bit quicker and livelier feel, but not bouncy.

After much negotiation, Island Lake was ruled out (good on a cross bike, but pretty boring on a mtb). Unfortunately, that meant we weren't going to get to ride with Tom (sorry Tom). The conclusion was the city loop in A2. The funny thing about that is that Rachel gets lost very easily and in fact got really lost the last time we did this ride. With that in mind, we headed to A2 with plenty of cold weather gear and our bikes. The ride up was its' usual entertaining event, but the real entertainment begins when we park. We parked at Mack Pool, a nice public pool in A2 that is convenient to the route I know for the loop. Inevitably, we are laughing pretty hard within minutes - it can be triggered by anything - music, the kid using the remote to the family car James Bond style (behind the back, under the leg, etc.), stories about items sold at garage sales when we were kids, or the people parking right next to us with five open spaces further away while we are changing(showtime). What should be a simple 3-5 minute process ends up taking 15-25 before we know what hit us.

I digress, the ride was a lot of fun. The snow provided enough lubrication to the trail to make you pay attention, yet not so much as to make it any extra work. Unfortunately, it covered up the puddles with a thin layer of ice and snow that made them hard to see and avoid. Mud and ice were a small problem, no biggie. Discovery for the day: Rachel hates going downhill. As much as I have ridden with her, that one had never been spelled out quite so clearly as yesterday. Something to be worked on.

The best part of the day no question: Zingerman's Bakehouse and Creamery. I have been to Zingerman's many, many times, but never these operations. Now that I know where they are, I will do my best to continue to support the A2 economy by going there. I easily could have spent a couple of hundred dollars without a doubt. For breakfast this morning - two slices of chocolate/cherry bread toasted with butter. What a way to get going in the morning!