Today was the first Saturday in a long, long, LONG time that I could get back to my routine of getting up, drinking coffee, eating breakfast, watching a bit of football and heading out on a ride. My initial plan was to go a bit north of town, then head south to seek out some bigger rollers, but somewhere along the way I changed my mind and stayed north of town the entire ride.
The conditions were such that I couldn’t get the phrase/song title “It’s Grim Up North” out of my head. The cold air, grey skies, melting snow, ice and miles of wet, muddy dirt roads did nothing but reinforce the grimness of the day and the post-winter/pre-spring season we are in the midst of here in Central Michigan. As grim as it might be, I have to admit there is still a certain beauty to it. Then again maybe I am just high on endorphins and post ride hoppy goodness?
Before I left I had Tweeted “Planning a ride in the cold, on muddy roads, is like looking forward to sex with someone you know you’ll get an STD from.” However I didn’t think that the roads would take my analogy so literally and give me a view of someone’s spent sex-time rod wrapper at one intersection. Grim.
Of course that was a bit outdone by the graffiti below.
I guess I was in “Ford country” or something? It has been a long time since I had the pleasure of seeing a giant penis (complete with hairy balls) on the road. I love that it appears they misspelled sucks at some point but corrected their mistake. I also love that they felt the need to draw the arrow. I never would have guess what they were trying to say without it!
Despite the muddy conditions, it felt great to be out on riding again. Spending 2+ hours on a bike is a great way to spend part of my Saturday (or any day). Sure, by the end of my ride the El Mariachi’s drivetrain sounded somewhat like a Panzer about to break down but it was worth it.
PSA: If you are going to spit out a giant snot-tastic loogie, make sure to note the wind direction or your bike will sport some new “flare.”
Temps look to be at tad warmer tomorrow. I might as well REALLY fuck up my drivetrain.
Later.