Ride # 91 in the Gloaming

Gray day, barely warm. Not warm really. But I spent two hours before riding in the backyard raking leaves, cutting back plants & shrubs, bagging yard waste. With a bonfire to boot. So by the time I set off on ride number 91 I was plenty warm (though I still layered my front with a brown paper bag). A completely gray & rain-threatening afternoon. Dubious. Beautiful. Somber. Like a World War I battlefield. The jaundiced gray gloaming of Ypres, the Somme.

Once on the other side of West St and climbing into the hills, I'm all alone. The gloaming countryside. Crow caw. Stone walls piled centuries ago disappearing into hardwood forest. A reservoir for the town of Lemonstar. The bike is silent, riding smooth and fast today. I imagine myself as light as possible. Descending one of the hills coming home, I make myself horizontal and imagine an arrow, a feathered flyer. I see myself soaring. It's like flight. I am an arrow let fly by Jah.

Shad Rides, Number 91

Ride stats: 58 minutes, 14.6 miles. 47 degrees. Sholan Loop. November 17, 2013.