The Second Half

9:15pm, Thursday, May 31st

My chance to exercise finally after working, kids, house chores......."When you stop taking chances, you stop living" Not Aristotle, not Socrates - but Laird Hamilton, pro sufer. I think his quote is somewhat accurate, regardless, it was my mantra last night:

Road bike, Snowbowl Road, Full moon - no lights on my bike
The moon lights up the landscape so brightly in sections that it seems as though headlights are shining onto the road and into the trees
I went up the 10K climb quietly, moderately, and let my eyes adjust to the night
no cars
no people
But I could feel the elk and the deer watching me - as twigs broke and leaves rustled on the sides of the road. 50 minutes to the top...
At the top it was cold, so I quickly turned around and went down
rode the brakes a bit and carefully looked out for those animals so I didn't hit one - or so they didn't hit me
What is normally a 10 minute descent at 40mph took 13+ minutes - I was just fine with that as I watched for rocks and debris like a hawk.
Past the wildlife and on the homestretch I came across the real threat that night...jackass kids racing their cars on the 1-mile straightaway that marks the start of the climb. I was one of them once, so I didn't curse or yell. I just moved over, stopped and waited for them to finish.
Back to the car, warm, safe, a moderately risky ride, but man did I feel alive.