21 August 2011 Ride: A New, Hillier, Shangra La

When I've gone caving, distance is usually covered in small increments with the dark distorting time.  Progress is slow as hole and cracks and crevices are investigated to see if perhaps they lead to somewhere more grand.  Often, the end of a passage isn't reached because of time and one is left to wonder what remains to be seen.

When I rode with Dorothy the other day and we went down CORD 38, we only made it 4 miles before we turned around because of some very threatening clouds.  We were both taken by what little we saw and were very curious what the rest of the paved 9 miles of road we didn't see held in store.

I was eager to go to the end, so when Pat Murray asked me Friday about riding together today, I suggested we start at Drake and take 38 to the end.

We met before sunrise at 6:15 and were off ten minutes later.  A great morning for riding and we quickly fell into a good rhythm.  I remembered my camera today and I would spot objects occasionally that I would have liked to photograph, but I was enjoying our pace and didn't want to break stride.
 
CORD 38 did not disappoint us.  So quiet, so peaceful; there were a couple of encounters with dogs but all very manageable and of no real threat.  The road climbed steadily up into the hills and giving us two good challenging climbs.  We came atop a ridge and as I looked over to my left I told Pat we had to stop for a picture.

There is a different sound and quality to a breeze up in the hills.  We stood quietly listening to it, taking in the view to the north.  To the south, on the other side of the road, the drop off was almost identical with another deep valley stretching off into the distance.  The calm of the spot was truly enchanting.  We rode on for another couple of miles hoping to make it to the end but time was running out.  So, with 2.5 miles left till the pavement ended and another descent before us (meaning an ascent coming back), we turned around.  I had to smile as the drama of this road kept drawing itself out.  Of course, I could easily take a vehicle and drive to the end but that would take all the fun out of the adventure.

On the way back down, I did stop at the quirky roadside exhibit to take shot of a bike I didn't see when Dorothy and I went by there.

Reaching Hwy 71, which isn't all that busy, it felt as if we had emerged from a secret passage and surfaced back in civilization. 

As Pat and I were riding on 38, there were many objects that caught my eye to photograph.  So, probably not too long from now, I'll take a solo trip down 38 and stop to my hearts content.  And, maybe, I'll even reach the end of the 13 miles of pavement!

Today's Ride:  4hrs. 20mins.  55.07 miles.  76-85 degrees.  Miles YTD:  5,607.39

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