Dirt

Yesterday I took a train up to Sprain Ridge Park and ripped around in the woods for a few hours. I got there around two o'clock in the afternoon and didn't see another soul on the trails (That's a first). The weather was hot and humid; the trails were bone dry, the vegetation; wilting from the heat. I took it easy, stopping often for snapshots with my iPhone, to catch my breath and take in the sights. I love the terrain at Sprain Ridge. The topography is one thing, with enough hills to tire you out, but the ground itself is a perfect mix of baby-head sized rocks, rooty sections, logs, switchbacks along exposed rock faces and bermed turns.

The ride was perfect, even with the small time-out I took to fix my 42 tooth chain ring. I had smashed it into the rocks a few too many times and bent the tips of several teeth in towards the center line of my bike. I knew I'd need the big ring to get back to the train and didn't want to prematurely fatigue (loosen the links) my chain, so I grabbed the nearest file (rock) and went to town on those teeth. (Blurry photo of teeth burs here.)