TALES: It’s healthy to carry your bike occasionally … right?

Finished clearing the last bamboo on Spiders & Pipes Saturday, so it's finally completely rideable again, the way Tom intended. Also let loose with some metallic gold spray paint (hope the nearby farmers don't mind the gold spider icons directing traffic). I'm hoping this moderate-skill trail will encourage more families to start riding; it also gives us night-riding virgins a safer place to learn the nocturnal arts. Best of all, I got another cool rash from clearing the trail – three circles on the back of my neck that my wife describes as “crop circles.”

Sunday was even better as Lance, Clayton, Garry and I tackled Spider Loop's inner loop. Chris the photographer and "Amazon Guide Wonder Boy" even joined us. The uphill switchbacks on “The High Road” left me gasping like the first time I rode them, but weaving down through the tight trees and over the rooted, twisting path of “Heartbreak” before hitting "The Mother of All Downhills" reminded me exactly how much the rush is worth the climb 10 times over!

I can only imagine how fulfilling the last half mile would have been with the bike carrying me instead of me carrying the bike. This was my first personal encounter with the joys of chain suck to the max -- and I must say that I did a fine job of wedging the chain under the spoke ends. I have to admit, life would’ve been easier had I noticed the loose rear derailleur cable after I fixed the chain the first time. Lesson: never be so hurried to get back on the bike that you only check the symptom, not the cause. A special thanks to Garry for keeping me company on the walk!

I almost forgot: the spiders are on steroids and have miraculously grown to half their mature sizes over the course of the past two weeks. We’re definitely in for a treat early this year!