John’s Ramblings

Yes, AGAIN.

Saturday I headed out in the morning from home to get in a “long” ride. From Auburn I rode out to Lake Sawyer, 4 corners, Landsburg, Kangley, Kanaskat, Cumberland, Green River Gorge, and back via Green Valley (a.k.a “Over the river and through the woods“). I ended the day with almost exactly 60 miles, and a pretty good case of “bonk”. I ate poorly at breakfast, and snacked on a single Clif Bar during my ride. By 1 p.m. when it was time to head up the hill to my house, I threw in the towel. Lessons learned on this day were:

• Eat and hydrate properly before a big ride, starting the day before.
• Stop for lunch, dude.
• If you ride almost every ride at 20 miles in length, your body will become accustomed to riding 20 miles. 60 will be 3 times farther than your body will want to go.

Sunday was far more low-key. We met a local group of riders at Mountain Bike Outfitters in Kent, and had a leisurely ride out to Green Valley for a little of their outstanding beef jerky.

Have I told you about the beef jerky at Green Valley Meats before? I thought so, but I’ll tell you again. They make it there, in more flavors than I care to count in the middle of a Sunday bike ride. There are fruit flavors, Jack Daniels flavor, thick, thin, turkey, elk, and buffalo to name a few (and, lest we forget, a flavor called “MyAssIsOnFire”). This is not your “Oh Boy” kinda mass-produced mystery meat. This is the real deal, crafted by people that know how to make it, and served by people that care if you like it. Their meat is damn good as well. In the summer I’ll take a small folding day-pack, and end my ride with a run down Green Valley. I’ll stop 1 mile up the road at Mosby Brothers’ Farm for some veg to grill, then stop at Green Valley Meats for the main course. All their meat is natural, and delicious.

60 miles Saturday, 20 on Sunday (there’s that 20 miles again), 904 year-to-date. Big Billy-Jim-Bob Carson has pointed out what would be obvious to anyone other than me, so I’m now shooting for 1,000 miles in the 1st Quarter of 2007 (double last year’s effort).

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