Ah, the K-3 loop at Manchester State Forest...what a trail. Kurt and I went for a day at Harbison SF, followed by an overnight at Manchester. Harbison was much wetter than expected (to the point that they probably should have just closed the whole thing down). Indeed, part of the motivation for the trip was the fact that our only local trail has been saturated and, hence, closed for what has seemed like months. The two state forests are up around the fall line (where the ocean used to reach, millions of years ago), so the soils are, generally, much quicker to drain. The problem, if one can call it such, is that we've been having record rainfall and even more than one inch of snow!
We rolled one loop around the major trails, then hit the road, but not before I had time to go down hard on my head on a turn full of pine needles, fall off the side of the rock garden on the Spider Woman Trail, then go over the handlebars in the same section, smashing my left knee to a pulp.
The overnight was preceded by an omen in the form of what looked to be one-hundred or so "hibernating" ladybird beetles in the ranger's office at Poinsett State Park. They fluttered about the window in the corner of the office, popping and clicking, filling in the dead space of our conversation with their frantic flight. They begged comment, which I supplied, though no response was offered. I speculated, later, that perhaps they are no longer a source of amusement and wonder to the ranger. Perhaps, they haunt his sleep on bad nights, the clicking of tree branches against his window waking him in cold sweats on the worst. More likely, he just considers them a nuisance and is tired of visitors making light of the situation. "It just ain't funny anymore is all I'm sayin'."
Our ride after getting set up and our neighbors might be considered one manifestation of the beetle boding. We hit the Campbell Pond loop for a ride before dinner, but we rode the same 100m section three times before we located a sharp bend that was, like the rest of the trail, hidden in loads of leaf litter. This one was a wash.
I had a great hot shower and got dinner in me before night fell, which meant I had plenty of time for warming up to our newly-arrived neighbors a few sites down. Now, I'm not one to size anybody up by the cars they drive, the tents in which they sleep, or the bicycles they have in tow (are you seriously going to try riding that on these trails?). At least they're out here riding, right? Wrong.
They stay up late, barking like brainless bumpkins (though they also brought dogs to fill in any potential silence) and splitting wood into the wee hours. I kept waiting to hear the inevitable shriek that goes along with so many marriages of the mildly-educated with cases of crummy beer, heavy, sharp tools, and limited light. It never came, but it may as well have been every hour or so between the din of this mob and my freezing ass. Even with two extra blankets, my mesh tent with fly and 30 degree bag did very little against the slightly below-freezing temperature of the evening (though, it's hard to regret the decision when August rolls around). On the lighter side, at least I was awake to hear a couple of great horned owls talking to one another for a spell.
As for the other side of the office omen, the K-3 loop was everything I remembered, which is to say this trail is nearly perfect, and once my knee warmed up, I felt strong like bull. I say "nearly perfect" because there is a putrid side to this trail system that few favor discussing. There is a side that upsets and hurts. I refer, of course, to the continued discrimination against those of the equine persuasion that choose to ride fast bicycles. One day this, too, shall pass.
I just finished "Tortilla Flat," "Nickel and Dimed," and "Enrique's Journey," and I just started "The Road." I don't recall the last time I read so many closely related books in a short period of time, but they are all great reads, and they all have me tied up in knots, since they sort of represent an actual order of things. I'm not saying I expect the destruction and desolation of the last is right around the corner, but after reading the other three, it reminds one of what can lead to such a state of affairs. I hope some of you pick up "Enrique's Journey." This is the kind of book that should be required reading for any elected official involved in immigration issues. It doesn't offer solutions to the massive problem of our hugely unfair hemispheric economy, but it does help make the issue more human and less Vulcan.
Fast Food Nation had me feeling the same thing. Luckily, I saw no previews for this, so, from the name, I was expecting something different than what I saw, which was an incredible film, not just a piece of visual journalism. I also watched another "First Person," by Errol Morris. Again, great interviews. We watched "9," which was good, but I think the best part of it was the concept of a human imparting his soul to little robots. The animation is good and all, it just didn't grab me, for whatever reason. It might be the way these movies seem, more and more, to be edited like some of the newer action movies (that just seem to get worse and worse as the years pass).
Lastly, I wanted to mention that I just sent money to a political candidate. I mention this because he is not running in my state. I will also be sending letters to those seeking office this year in South Carolina to let them know of my actions. I feel better represented, in general, by somebody from another state than I do by the menu of local loaves, and I think they should know this. It doesn't take much to earn a contribution, one only need do what is best for most, most of the time. Just something to consider if you're starting to melt from all the hot air.
Oh, and, by the way, it's time to give hip-hop another chance. Check out Dalek, P.O.S., Illogic, Aesop Rock, or Eligh, among others. There is so much good stuff out there, and I probably would've never known had it not been for Fred in Lincoln. Take my word for it. It is worth your time to stop in on some of this.
Here's the video stuff:
This one is pretty damned cool, though, it'd be nice to think we'll get a standard established at some point, so motorists don't have to keep re-learning what a bicyclist looks like at night.
More of the animated cyclist stuff.
