While in Michigan Linda and I hooked up with Keith, a long time amb'er.
We'd spent some time earlier in the day checking out the recommended
lbs. Keith picked a nice shop all right, as we had a good time chatting
about the local riding with the crew there.
After meeting and exchanging socks (a long story) we remembered the
traditional amb greeting... "seen any whipsnakes lately?"... "Of course,
I'm a famous herpetologist!".
Mrs. Keith is a really neat lady, who rides as well. Unfortunately she
had work to do, so it was just the three of us. We'd hook up with her
later so the four of us could go for chow.
The discussion about where to ride was next. Keith being a taaaaaall and
fit rider was good for anywhere, but he had an appreciation for my
limitations on riding. After a couple of 11 hour days behind the wheel,
and far too long off our bikes, and far to much good food, Linda and I
thought Keith's offering of The Paint Creek trail sounded nice. It was a
rails to trail conversion that would allow for a good spin.
Sometimes the time on your bike isn't meant to be about roots, rocks,
logs and the like. Sometimes it can just be about a dirt path out in a
beautiful area enjoying nature and the company of good people. This was
one of those rides. We got the low down on the Michigan Mountain Biking
Association and some of the local trails. We heard about his fun at The
Ore to Shore race. (Hey Keith, if you see this we actually took your
advice and toured the Painted Rocks by boat! Awesome)
We got caught in a bit of rain. Every once in a while a bridge would
take us over the great looking Paint Creek. We saw about 5-6 deer, none
of which seemed at all worried about us. Keith would ride beside me and
chat for a while, and then move next to Linda and chat for a bit with
her. Keith did a great job of ensuring that neither of us felt like a
third wheel in our little group of three. It was a nice spin filled with
great conversation and wonderful sights.
When we rolled back into the trailhead it was getting dark. A quick look
at the time showed that we were getting a bit late. Off we went to pick
up a hungry Mrs. Keith so that the four of us could chow down at one of
the finest eateries in the area. I had the best Mac 'n Cheese that I've
ever had in my life!!! Linda and Mrs. Keith each had the fresh baked
Turkey Pot pie, while Keith had the Grilled Portobello Mushroom
sandwich. All good fare! Later we enjoyed some Fort Garry Pale Ale, that
I'd brought along from Winnipeg.
Keith and Mrs. Keith were great hosts, and are just plain wonderful
people. We really enjoyed their company and were sorry that we had to
part so soon. Holidays are like that though. Temporal. We sure enjoyed
our time with them!
--
- Rog
http://www.wpcusrgrp.org/~rogerbuchanan/index.html
NOTE: to Reply to this, remove the phrase "NOSPAM"
from my "Reply To:" address, or it will be returned.