The State of the Taco

Date: 1/24/2012
Riders: Cap'n, B, Nocar, Xteric, NoHandle, Keds (taco session)
Climate: Mild and dry
Soils: All states of saturation, from hard and tacky to deep mud
Route: Drop to the lake, turn CCW to horse camp, drop below the first dam, back up and continue lake loop, grab some horse trail, Barne's Back, Park Creek, cross country bushwhacking over slash piles and through dense stands of immature fir to Wedding March, 1A, continue lake loop, horse trail, end. or something like that.


I was surprised to see Cappy drive up to the Mosquito Lot with B in the back seat and Booker riding shot gun. Apparently, he received a last minute pardon from the governor and was free to ride. I loaded up and the Cap'n pulled in to the gas station, estimated the round trip costs, and we pooled all our moneys to get the FT3 shuttle on the road. It reminded me of hitch hiking in Guatemala.

Cappy rhetorically asked who would RideLead and we were off.

Ever striving to be better and more informed citizens, Mr. Obama's State of the Union Address was broadcasted first from the automobiles' sound systems and then by B's phone device. We were thus able to engage in a civic, non-partisan discussion of some of the salient points throughout the ride.

Somewhere on Barne's Back we encountered our first pool of deep mud. By Park Creek we had plowed through spots so deep it gummed up drive trains. At one stop I lifted my bike hoping to dislodge some of the mud by shaking it around a bit. I was confronted by about ten pounds of new weight. I will say that the Geax tires are fan-tastic in the slop.

Mud gave way to snow and we laid more fresh tracks. After a hilarious search for Wedding March where THTH prevailed as master route finder, we raced the descent, dense and fast as quicksilver.

The Knott Hole was bare when we pushed through the door. Mother Rye declared that the dining room was closed after 9PM so we sidled up to the bar. Service was prompt, but as one shell after another ripped in half at the first bite, no one commented.