The Anna Page
I had a wonderful feeling after i accomplished something i had worked at for a while....
I ran out of the house and hopped in the car at 8 oÕclock on a Saturday morning. The anticipation grew so much that I could hardly contain myself as I drove around the winding road. When I reach the point where I could not go any farther in my car, I pulled over onto the gravel. I opened the back of the car and pulled the two-wheeled contraption out. The flakes of reddish-brown dirt, which had dried on the tires from the last visit, covered my hands and shirt. I brushed my hands off and jumped on.
As I started to ride down the old battered road, I felt the chill of the air and I hoped that it would warm up as the day went on. After a few minutes my destination was visible, four of the roughest trails in Alabama. I chose to take the longest one of them all, called the "Mountain Mist." I had only attempted this trail one time before; I did not finish. However, today I was determined to beat it.
Off I went. Starting out with rather flat land, the beginning was a breeze, but the land did not stay flat for long. As I went up the ground became rougher. Every rock, root and puddle had a different feel. The trees around me seemed to protect me from the drop off on my left side and the world off the mountain. As I reached the top of the first long climb, I was relieved to know that the next part of the course was downhill.
As I began the next portion, the wind blew through my hair as my speed increased. There was a certain sense of freedom that ran through me. I was away from the everyday worries, all the things I had to do, and the stressfulness of my life. I was free.
As I rode, my hands and feet became numb. My nose also became cold and red. Beads of sweat rolled down my face, but dried quickly by the wind rushing past me. Branches stuck out and scrapped me, thorns stuck me, but I still pressed on. As I went through puddles mud covered my bike and me; I smiled and continued to ride.
The determination to finish this trail was almost unbearable. I was going to finish, perfectly. The minutes flew by and soon the trail was finished. I had done it, but the feeling was only bittersweet. Bitter in the way that now all the trails on the mountain had been finished and there was nothing left to try. Sweet in the way that now I had finally completed the trail that gave me the most trouble without mistakes.
I continued to ride that day until the sun began to set. Then, I made my way back down the old battered road. I loaded my bike back into the car with a bit of disappointment that the day ended so quickly. I closed the tailgate and drove home with a smile from the fact that I had escaped for yet another day from the cares and worries of the world and the thrill of looking forward to the joy of another carefree day soon to come.
That wasn't it but it was a good story and it was a good feeling when i finished. Maybe I'll tell you about what i was talking about another time
Mountain Biking in Alabama
Web Mountain Bike
Clemson University
Bored.com
Blue Ten
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