Monday, November 15, 2010

CX at Greystone


Frog in training ...take the leap.


...another kind of leap.


It was all business down the boulevard in front of Greystone "ward 40" at the start of my race.

Greystone, now with most it's windows boarded shut, was home to great depression era folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie, who suffered from Huntington's disease. Guthrie, most famous for writing "This Land is Your Land".

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.



Taking a moment to chill after my race, where I found this tree, ..... Woody's "magic tree" ? It looked near dead, but it's roots went deep.
... is this land really for you and me?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Dragonflies and Newts





After two weeks off the mountain bike and three weeks off of Ringwood, it really felt good to get back out in the woods this week. It is amazing how my weekly visits into the woods affect me in a positive way. Until I go without, I do not see the value of this ritual.

I spent a few weeks healing a shoulder, and fighting the first signs of winter, and now I am gifted a healthy body and fall-like conditions. Moderate temperatures have returned, and fallen leaves have made open views of the sky and left piles of leaves on the trail. I would say, that I am not a big faller, but these leaves have me diving over the handlebars more often than usual. None of this bad, just all part of where I am today, and I am very happy to be alive and experience the fall and my yearly passage though the seasons.

Today was a birthday, and three friends rode together in celebration. We stopped along a beautiful swamp-side. The sun beat down on us and dragonflies adorned the birthday girl. As I noticed the newts swimming in the shoreline, I realized we were also taking advantage of these last few warm days and preparing for winter. Sad at times, but a reality we all must face and use to motivate us to move ahead in life. As always, great to be a mountain biker.