When You Just Need To Ride
Out where Belleview runs into a ritzy neighborhood.
Frustration. Aggravation. Ready to scream.
Yeah, I was and I knew I needed to go for a ride. Really, really needed to go for a ride.
It was Sunday and I was doing some long-neglected chores around the house. Specifically, the latch on the gate was about to fall off and I wanted to fix it for real this time, not just put on a band-aid as I have done several times before. But things just weren’t going well.
I had a strip of scrap wood that I figured I could attach on the edge and then attach the latch to that, but man that piece of wood was hard. I tried to drill it but the drill didn’t do a thing. I tried to nail it but the nails all bent.
Meanwhile it had been a pretty nice day, cool at first but then sunny and warm, and now it was starting to cloud over again. Forget this, I’m going riding.
I rolled out the V-Strom and geared up and then saw it was starting to rain. !!!! A look to the west, however, showed blue sky so I figured that while I would take my rain gear I would not put anything on just yet. And I headed west, toward the blue sky.
Not really knowing where I was going, I just headed west on Belleview. I was on the V-Strom so maybe I’d get to the foothills and find a dirt road going who knows where. I could feel the tension melting away and I couldn’t have cared less about the raindrops speckling my visor, my jacket, and the bike. And pretty soon I reached the sun and now I was feeling a lot better.
Crossing under Santa Fe, still on Belleview, I was not sure where the road went from here. Time to find out. I have that exploring gene.
Soon enough I did find out. I ran into the barrier that is Bow Mar. Tried to poke my way through a couple times but kept running into dead-ends so I backed out and went south till I got to Bowles, which finally carried me further west. Rode past Southwest Plaza (how many years has it been since I’ve been out here?!) and further west until I reached C-470 and there was a foothill immediately in front of me. But Belleview went on across the highway so I checked out where it went.
Not far. It immediately swung south and then into a tiny neighborhood and the grounds for one of those ginormous mega-churches. OK, back to C-470 and go north to the next exit.
That was Quincy and I got off and crossed the highway and found it split left and right. Right was marked Turkey Creek Canyon. I’ve been up there and know it and where it goes. Left was marked Belleview. Oh really? Let’s see.
So I headed south and then west once again on Belleview. This led into a ritzy area with lots of McMansions and as I would around I found myself coming out towards US 285 as it heads up into the mountains. This was that area you always see to the south as you head up that way. Now I know how to get in there.
The road brought me out on CO 8 right at the Fort restaurant on the north side of US 285. My exploring gene had been satisfied and it had clouded over again so it was cooling off and I was getting cold. I turned east to chase the sun again. A couple more side trips along the way and I was nearly home. I stopped off at our local Ace Hardware and bought some new drill bits and left the bike and my gear to put away later as I turned my attention back to the latch.
Very calmly now, with no feelings of aggravation, I put the new bit in and presto, it went right into that hard piece of wood. In five minutes the job was completely done.
Some times you just have to clear your head. There’s no better way to do that than getting on your bike.
Biker Quote for Today
When life throws you a curve… lean into it, pick your line, and keep your weight on the outside peg.
