Better living through chemistry

I said yesterday that the hilly morning road ride would either warm me up for today's trail ride or leave me too tired to face it. And that was before I did an evening session with the weights.

I woke up early this morning and walked the dogs around the block a couple of times. I then threw the bike in the back of the truck, drove over to the G5 parking lot, and hit the trails in the southwest corner of Tucson Mountain Park. I rode strongly. Skillfully. With energy left over. It was totally worth shaving my legs for.

Maybe I have greater fitness and deeper reserves than I thought. Either that, or the dose of naproxen sodium I took before leaving removed my ability to feel pain and later on, when it wears off, I'll feel the cumulative effects of my sore muscles, stiff joints, and every single puncture and scratch I received as I navigated the overgrown trail. Regardless, Advil is out, Aleve is in.

The potential OTC NSAID-induced pain immunity notwithstanding, it was a wonderful, ride. The first couple miles of trail were shaded by a butte to the east, and the air was fragrant with a Monsoon season's worth of plant growth. I was reminded that the three-quarter mile segment of twisty singletrack just south of Kinney and west of the Ironwood Picnic Area is one of my all-time favorite trails, despite its unfortunate brevity. Rufous-winged sparrows called from the brush and a greater roadrunner dropped me like I was standing still. I blew by a key junction and ended up riding further southwest than I'd intended. Just as I entered what I call the "No Fires" wash, so named for the admonition on a trailside sign, I noticed several of the larger trees in the xeroriparian area were loaded up with roosted turkey vultures. A few flushed, but I counted at least eleven of them, warming themselves in the morning light. It was a perfect way to end the summer, and I'm definitely looking forward to more rides like it this fall.