BEND-ING OFF COURSE

{words by carey}

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

{crazy bike sculpture in Bend, OR - camp fire - dusty dry trails (yes!)}

It has been four days since Tuesday and four days prior to that I was in Bend, Oregon; it's been a week of catching up and recalibrating myself to city life. The four days spent in Bend were epic: two 30 mile mountain bike rides back to back on my single speed XXIX (which, by the way, is a stellar bike; until I can afford a custom frame this is my bike of choice), four days of camping, fire off-road skids (click on the link and you will see some film shorts I put together), river jumping (that literally took my breath away), an endo (I ended up with two fist-sized bruises on each thigh and a jammed shoulder, but somehow was well enough to ride the next day), and an escape from everyday life - it was awesome.

{a little butterfly was fascinated with my hand &
we were fasinated with the logs}

I arrived back home and got a small illness which forced me to drive to work for 2 days. The weather in Seattle lately has actually spelled S-U-M-M-E-R, which means about 4 more hours on the bike in the evenings than usual. The ride in yesterday was glorious and a stop at All City coffee was much needed. It's amazing how much I love the mountains and camping but at the same time love a perfectly pulled shot of espresso. I mention this because it's been a hard week adjusting to the structure that I live in everyday; it doesn't quite compare to a long weekend full of dynamic mountain biking, meeting 13 new people each possessing a new story, seeing the cosmos, sitting around a campfire - man, it's been hard getting back into the asphalt world of structure.

But, it all disappeared as soon as I mounted my bike. I love that this machine can pop me out of any doubt, any sadness, any bum mood (SWOBO hit the nail on the head with their "how to avoid the bummer life" motto for their blog). Bikes are so great - they make us healthy, strong, agile, beautiful, rad, happy, they are tons of fun, they make us hurt, are community builders, and an answer to the world's problems. Simply put, they are bad ass.

Enjoy the weekend.