Patapsco Snow Ride

RickyD threw a line out this week looking for a ride on Friday. I offered to join him around lunch time and our group tripled in size.

It snowed a bit in the morning while I toiled away at work. I was hoping it would continue, not for the accumulation that might happen, but simply for the magical effect that snow seems to bring to people, especially goofy mountain bikers.

The snow stopped around 10:30. It snowed hard for 1/2 hour then nothing.

I got a call from Kent letting me know he was pulling out of the driveway to meet us. Good omen. As I piloted the auto up Landing Rd towards Rockburn Branch Park, I saw a flake. Then another.

Then a horizontal near white-out. 25 knot winds, HUGE flakes... I pulled in right behind Kent and we both LEAP out of our cars and rejoice at the heavily falling snow!

As Kent pulled out his new electric bike (carbon Kestrel with full Dura Ace) in the heavy snow, I bolted for the heated bathroom to change. When I came out, my bike was covered in snow. After waiting a few minutes for RickyD & Co., we got started on a beautiful ride through the snow-covered woods.

There was no ground. It was only snow and leaves. Pure white with perfect browns. And slippery. Not ice-slippery, but slippery. Especially the logs.

There were falls, there was laughing. There was slowing down. And there was cold.

The snow stopped, the wind cut and we rode. It was wonderful to be out.

After a mechanical delay and cold sunk into the bones, we finished the ride on perfect trails with tacky, cold dirt. It was a great day to be out.

I missed some of the mythical snow rides from last year but this year, this first snow ride was mine. And I got to share it with some good people.