My Honeymoon

I feel like I just returned from my honeymoon, which is funny because I've never had a honeymoon. Just bear with me, here. Like all great honeymoons, I had one great ride . . . actually, several.

I've been riding, but more effort has been a requirement to get me out on the trail, lately. I just haven't felt like riding. I went up to Copper Harbor for the Thursday night group ride and stayed with some friends for the weekend. Three of us gals did a "B" ride while the rest of the group did the "A" ride. It wasn't so much a separation of skill levels as it was just three girls wanting to do a fun ride without feeling like we were imposing on a bunch of guys. It turns out that both groups hit some of the craziest trails. It was our little "B" group that did Paul's Plunge.


Di riding the Ma Maki trail.

Friday, I did a ride by myself. I really did not feel like riding, but felt compelled to do so when I saw all the guys leaving in different groups. I took off and set out for a challenging, technical, and fast ride. I found myself climbing quickly and confidently, and my riding was spot on. For the first time this year, I had a perfect ride. Things just felt great. I didn't feel awkward on my bike.

Saturday was a true testament to what my weekend at Copper Harbor was doing to me. I started off with a huge Harbor Haus breakfast and met some teammates for a ride. We rode for two hours and did a pretty grueling ride. It was grueling for me because I didn't get very much sleep (people screaming outside all night) and that breakfast weighed me down quite a bit.

We finished our ride after about two hours. I kept my cycling clothes on because I was going to do a road ride after lunch. My friend, Trash – yes, Trash – was chatting with me while deciding where he wanted to do a mountain bike ride. I mentioned my ride on the Kamikaze trail and he said, "That's what I'll do! I'll ride Kamikaze!"

"Seriously?" I totally took note.

"Yeah. I'm going to do it right now."

"Wait for me! I'm coming with you!" My legs felt like Jello, but who cares? This was going to be fun!

Our friend, Chuck, showed up and the three of us headed up to the top of Kamikaze for a funky, crazy ride down. We headed back home and decided to shuttle the bikes up to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for a ride down Garden Brook. After twenty-two miles of riding the ever-so-awesome trails of Copper Harbor, I had a couple of beers with Chuck and we called it a day.

I left the Harbor, today, with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for mountain biking. I got my groove back. I found that honeymooning with your mountain bike can do a lot to help you regain the joy, freedom, and awe that got you into this mess in the first place.