Day 8. Duckpond Pedro!

January 16, 2023

Wow I slept eight hours in a warm bed sweet! No bears, no laying down a perimeter, no minus 32 degree wind chill (I think it's called writers license to exaggerate right?), or rolling over and telling your road bike how much you love her (also writer prerogative to ad lib a lil bit OK? ....I mean I didn't really speak those exact words...and I definitely didn't kiss the derailleur at 2am either or else I would've put that in here somewhere too. It's not grease its lip balm ok? geez).

Woohoo life is good!

Then just as I'm waking up...Jim texted me that eggs n sausage were ready downstairs....

And on top of that...this Air-Bike-n-Bourbon has free wifi! What!!????

On tap for the day was a ride up in a place called Talking Rock GA which was near an hour drive back north. So once we loaded up our bellies - and his truck - we started off.

I had realized I didn't have a spare tube for the mountain bike (yes I have not gone tubeless yet with the mountain bike, I will probably soon. Promise. And yes I have gone topless with the jeep. I mean the jeep was topless not me. Or anyone else in it for that matter. We all had our shirts on ok!?). But I will try out going tubeless on the mountain bike because the tube for a 29" wheel is just HUGE! Who wants to carry that around!?

So we stopped at a local bike shop and we're talking flats and Jim mentions these tire levers that he found to be awesome. Wouldn't ya know it the store has 'em and they are called Pedros! They are quite a bit more heavy duty so I gotta give 'em a try...my last ones broke I think helping someone else (not to be named here, but rides with us back home and isn't really good at changing flats lol). Anyone else ever use them? I think they also match my persona better too. I mean being part Mexican (37.6%) and all - and my name in a past life was Pedro, so I think we're going get along just nicely.

And I also ride a Salsa so there.

I wish I had more photos of the trail today to show but- we had a killer ride. Actually it was kind of hard to take more pics because a lot of it was just challenging to where stopping was not really an option! So fun. The weather and terrain just spectacular. The Single Track trail had tight switch backs and short burst climbs that totally burned out my Quads. Felt so good. There are like five different loops to do here also and we combined a few of them to get a good taste of them all! Mr. Jim is coming off an injury also, an ACL tear back in July. He was (and still is) a really strong rider and he woulda fit in nicely with us Liberty folk back home. Probably more in the A group and definitely a Yahoo for sure. He likes doing 50 milers in the dark riding backwards on a unicycle uphill in the woods type stuff.

We headed back home and squeezed in a little mile ride with his two awesome kids...Hawk and Everest. Yeah those are their names! Sweetest kids ever for sure and with Jims 6'6" frame that I'm sure Hawk will grow into that name will fit him just perfectly!

Also on tap for today were home cooked wood fired pizza's that I know would stand up to any personal pies back home. Totally killer!

We finished off the night with a little nightcap of small batch whiskey from the distillery I had stopped at a couple of days earlier...

Eat. Ride. Family. Eat. Drink.

Recipe for a good life huh!?

Inside

Great to see a family such as Jim's just rocking it all together. Jim and his wife have created, and are continually working towards keeping their home a home. Their focus isn't on getting the latest... but more so on their growth as a unit...as a team...as a family. Balance between the work, the taking care of oneself, the fun, and taking care of each other are paramount in their lives and it shows in the kids smiles...

A great sign of a man's (or womans) character is the fruit they produce...!

So glad I made it a point to stop and reconnect with y'all! Thank you for making me feel right at home too!

Outside

Mountain scenery is just so breathtaking isn't it!? To be surrounded by that cozy forest blanket while hammering some rocky climb stokes my soul and gives me a renewed freshness. It's food for the spirit.

We don't survive on just bread alone for sure...but every word that feeds us thru some scripture or a forest bath!

So important to find your passions in life that will do the same for you no matter what it is!

Upside

Jim and I shared so many stories from the past picking up like we've never-not (double negatives make everything ok right?) been hanging out together. Some of the work stories definitely made us laugh and some other ones made us wonder how some peoples are still alive lol. "Wait did I see him on 'Unsolved Mysteries'?" Ha!

downside

Totally having to, or better yet feeling called to keep moving. It's super cool to be here and I have a little more exploring to do in a town called Woodstock (Georgia) (Not NY) (Ya know the place where Jimi Hendrix was) (I think he was there anyway)(and lots of mud) (and drugs too I heard)(well musta been drugs cuz peoples were sliding around in mud made up of God-knows what) (I'll ask Sanders back home - he was probably there)(well anyway not that place ok?)(this one's in Georgia). But yeah not turning over every single rock that pops into my path is a little bit of a downside...I just pick up the ones that really have a strong tug on me.

There is a little discipline involved in saying ok lets keep moving still. I mean I guess I could stay on the road for years but I'm not feeling that strong of a pull! I want to see my daughter and spend time in Colorado, and to also see California a bit and taste some towns so that kinda keeps this train moving...

Every which way but east

Looked into going due west from here but the towns in middle Mississippi and Louisianna do not look inviting at all. I keep seeing crime statistics and stuff that are just nutty. SO heading south to the coast! Jim mentioned Santa Rosa beach so I'm headed there, will do a road ride there (so far anyway) and then head west along the southern coast toward Houston Texas.

Ride on!