Going to do a bit of catch up here on the blog this digital fish wrap I call a blog. Bare with me, as I am condensing three days worth of crap into one big blog post that no one will should read. I will type some shit, I will post some pics, I will care little about either (and neither will you).
The plan on Saturday (AKA the 4th of July) was to do a mountain bike ride (or as I like to say “a ride in the woods,” as there are no mountains here) with my good friend and coworker Chris. The pace was “spirited” for lack of a better word, and while it may have been a casual pace for him (someone easily riding 200+ miles a week), for me it was a non-stop, go-go, lesson in chasing, but not catching. There were no stops for photos, piss breaks or back stretches. Just sixteen miles of singletrack at a brisker than usual pace. I have to tell you, it felt amazing and I was stoked just to keep him in sight.
With my family unit out-of-town for the weekend (and beyond), once I got home and got my lungs unstuck from my throat, I rinsed off my chamois bits (there’s a visual for you) and went fishing for a while.
I spent a couple of hours casting and reeling with little success. Then, I made some casts with my trusty Torpedo and nabbed a pretty nice smallmouth. I love, love, LOVE catching bass on top water lures, it’s always super fun. Sadly, that would be the only catch of the day. Still, it was good to be outside doing some masterbassing.
That evening, after some beverages and some grilled fajitas alone (I know, 4th of July picnic-tastic on a depressed, drunk Mexican tip), I walked a couple blocks over to hang with some friends that invited us to a cookout. With some Mexican food in my belly, I was content to hang out and drink some beverages with friends while chilling outside on an amazing Michigan summer evening. It was fun, but of course, it would have been “funner” if Wifey had been around to attend with me.
Sunday
I wanted to ride on Sunday, but I also wanted to stick to my not often talked about, and rarely fulfilled, promise of checking out some of the hiking and recreational areas here in Michigan. I settled on Hartwick Pines State Park up near Grayling for a solo Sunday outing. My plan was to do some hiking, some photo taking and then finish the day off with some fishing. So that’s what I did.
Cue random photos…
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Once my hike 4 to 5 mile hike/photo ramble was done, I ate some lunch and headed over to the two, small nearby lakes to throw a line in the water.
As picturesque and perfect as the two lakes were, they presented me with the same problem as so many of Michigan’s waterways do: they are best fished/enjoyed with a boat of some sort. So, that left me to wade out from the boat launch and try as best as my boat-less self could do. I did have what appeared to be a largemouth on at one point, but when it jumped up out of the water it got loose. Cuss!
So, as it often is with fishing, I was skunked and left to make the southerly drive back home along with 4,096,987 other Michiganderburgherites returning from holiday revelry in the peaceful, wooded respite of Michigan’s (lower) north woods.
Monday
Since the shop was open on Friday, the owners decided to make Monday our holiday day off. So I did what any faithful, crap, part-time, bike shop employee would do: I went for another fast paced (to me, not them) ride in the woods with a couple of friends [as seen in lead photo].
This time my curmudgeonly friend Mike joined Chris and I for a ride at Mid. The trails were in AWESOME shape and it was fun to ride with them. Again, their pace was pretty casual, which meant it was pretty freaking brisk for me. Not bitching though; that’s just what I need! Too much of my riding is spent at safe, putzing around speeds these days. That does nothing for the calorie burn or for my dwindling “race” skills.
My friend Chris says “there’s a pork chop in every beer.” I have to say I felt every one of those pork chops during my past two rides. The pork chopping must stop! Or the riding… either way.
All in all, I can sum up the last three days like this…
- Rode 32 miles of singletrack with friends.
- Hung out with friends.
- Hiked.
- Took some crap photos.
- Did some fishing with a LITTLE bit of success.
- Missed Wifey and B-Man.
- Had porch time with Jake (the dog).
- Watched the USWNT kick Japan’s ass.
- Viewed more than my fair share of online adult videos.
- Drank too many G&Ts
All good stuff, however I will say I NEED some routine back. I need Wifey and B-Man. I need shop hours and I need time on the bike. However that is going to be delayed as this week is going to have some travel back to PA and more mischief that will no doubt bring an early end to my days.
Later.