Revolutionary Times

This weekend has been filled with camping, cycling and, of course, fireworks. It is the Fourth of July, after all. So here's the tally:

35 miles of trail ridden
17 mosquito bites (and I used repellent)
12 assorted cuts and bruises
50 dollars worth of fireworks
3 black bears

Three black bears in one day, actually. The first one was down in a ravine and safely away from those of us who were on the trail. The second was a very large animal that ran across the trail in front of us about one mile from camp. This large animal stopped us in our tracks and had our adrenaline pumping, for sure. The third was smaller, maybe a/the cub of the larger bear and was sitting behind a tree watching us talk about the aforementioned second bear.

Naturally, as soon as we said bear number three, we started booking it down the trail - an epic downhill called Thunder Rock - and away from potential danger. The whole way down, all I could think is that we were at some bizarro Showbiz Pizza and the Rock-afire Explosion band had just taken one too many hits of acid and gone completely crazy. You remember those guys, right? I just wish our bears could get together and play this tune.

By the way ... is that drummer a dog, or a bear? I really can't tell what they were going for there).

Adventures for a Saturday

Mountain biking is about adventure and the rediscovery of your childhood freedom. It removes you from the daily grind and puts you in an environment with endless possibilities - wildlife, epic views, a personal epiphany about what really matters, and tasting your own endorphines after a long, hard climb. The reward is looking back at obstacles, that are now behind you, and feeling like anything's possible.

-Gary Klein [cyclist, framebuilder, innovator]