I’ve never thought of myself as Nostrafuckingdamus. Still, I know a little about a lot of useless shit. One of those things is knowing that despite the vast (not really) estate of the Cul De Sac Shack being void of snow and two full days of sun (yes, hours of sunshine for the first time since December, I believe), the woods and trails would still be filled with a mixture of melting mush and hard-packed slippiness.
However, because I am not the aforementioned Nostrafuckingdamus and not wanting to feel left out of any trail lumbering opportunities, I stopped by Deerfield to check the trails on Monday before I venturing further out the road for another Gravel Tramp®.
The woods near my Tramp parking spot; still snowy.
It turns out I was 100% correct; at least the main trail was still covered and packed with wintry slippiness from weeks of snowshoeing, skiing, and dog walking. Maybe I am Nostrafuckingdamus?
Perhaps the balls of the trail network in the woods would be OK, but I ain’t got time for that (sadly, I do, but it’s the point), and as I did on Friday, I quickly did a U-turn, and pointed the Escape towards another nearby Nature Preserve to access the small parking lot for another Gravel Tramp®.
The tramp started off ominously when three large dogs barked their asses off as I made my way down the road in front of their home. Thankfully, they didn’t venture out into the road, and I lumbered on, happy not to be confronted by the canine trio.
It was nice to be out on familiar roads again, even if it was on foot, and many roads were in their typical winter/post-winter shape; filled with potholes, mud, and washboard lumpiness, while others were dry and packed down tight—typical Michiganderburgh.
The long lusted for sunshine felt amazing, however the harsh mid-morning light was not great for pictures. However, it’s (for some reason) about the journey and capturing what I see along the way, both in words and photos, not whether my images are liked.
I saw some critters, took some pics, and kept a brisk pace while busting out a 7-mile loop.
It felt great to be getting miles in at a steady pace again rather than stumbling and plodding over the slippery snow.
My only regret with the lumber, er, I mean Gravel Tramp®, was one image I didn’t take; I was tramping past an Amish farm that I’ve been by a million times when out riding, and there was an Amish man on horseback in the field near the barn looking to be having an awesome time getting the horse up to a gallop and then slowing down before turning and doing it all over again. I really wanted to get a photo, but the Amish are reportedly not too keen on having their photos taken, and I like to be respectful, even if I do find their reasons why a bit ridiculous. Ride on, Abram!
Because of my Nostrafuckingdamus-like abilities to see the future (as well as having two eyes that work), I have a feeling that most, if not all, of this week will be spent out Trampin’. It’s not ideal, but miles are miles, and it still beats the treadmill or the gym.
Video from Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp. The O.G. Gravel Tramp!
Later.