Seduction

Well, the alleged 9:00 gathering time for the Bombay ride came and went. I found one car in the lot, with a bike rack, but no riders anywhere. I got on the bike and wandered a bit. A commotion to my left -- I glanced over and saw a large hawk, spread-winged and fierce, glaring at me from a patch of grass; slowly and defiantly he rose from the weeds, an unfortunate and fat field mouse hanging haplessly and helplessly from his claws.
Probably a sign, I thought, though unclear -- I didn't get to verify the entrails -- the hawk made it clear he was not sharing. Anyway, I ambled around for a few minutes, then decided to strike out on my own. Checked the odomoter, did a few calculations, and headed north on Highway 12, from Middleton.
When we moved here in 2001 Highway 12 north was a winding, hilly, 2-lane; in some places it gave the appearane of a mountain road, pretty but probably pretty dangerous. A couple years and some heated argument later, the highway department converted it into a Roman road, wide, 4-lanes, medianated, and moderately graded. A lot of scenery went, and a lot of trees. As a sop to the environmental crowd (allegedly) they put in a long bike trail parallel thereto. I'd seen it while driving past, but never ridden out there. This seemed to be the day.
The path was empty, save for two joggers near Middleton. the sun shone -- and because there were no trees, it shone pretty solidly. I soon shed my windbreaker, and kept riding. I heard red-winged blackbirds and smelled grass and water. I also heard the water -- or rather a steady cacaphony of frogs from nearly every pond and puddle. I also smelled cattle, and decided that, from an olfactory point of view, there's little difference between Nebraska's feed lots and Wisconsin's dairy farms.
Except for the lack of trees, the trail was nice; the crossings over side roads were well laid out, and it's always pleasant to feel like a respected denizen of the road, instead of an intrusive, slow nuisance (on the shoulder of a highway, midst the debris and glass fragments). I considered taking a side road, for scenery's sake -- but without a map (memo to self, pack a damned map) I was concerned about getting lost or into a seriously hilly and unforgiving area. So I stayed with the trail. But after several miles I came to a T-intersection, where stood a post with a handwritten sign -- "Bike Trail Ends." Well, I guess so; I mean, there was no room for interpretation. So I was back on the shoulder, with cars whizzing past, and the sun beating down. I soon crested a hill, and found myself looking down into thw Wisconsin River valley.
And this is where the seduction comes in.
I knew it would be wonderful ride down that long descent, and only few miles more to Sauk City. I also recalled on of my basic tenets of riding: never willingly give up high ground -- because you will probably have to regain it later -- especially when you are going back the same route.
But part of the wonder of seduction is a willingness to suspend common sense, and I did so. It was indeed a glorious ride down. And I did retain enough self-control to stop at precisely 15 miles out, not quite to Sauk City. I chewed a Clif bar, rested and rehydrated a bit, and turned around. Which meant pushing back up that descent, at which time I discovered -- no surprise really -- that I had also been riding with a tailwind. So it was a bit of grind back up, but a manageable one; I did notice decaying banana peels from time to time as I climbed, indicators of bicyclists gone by, remnants of their passing, the way that the skulls of oxen marked the passage of pioneers on the Oregon Trail. On a couple occasions a passing car honked, whether in encouragement or to be nasty, I don't know.
I did crest the hill, and felt good about it. I made it back in pretty good time, back to the car, and home for lunch, 30 miles under my belt, my legs feeling not so bad, and all being well. Another step forward toward century time.
And the Bombay ride? A re-check of the old schedule showed that the ride left at 10:00, not 9. Next time I'll read more carefully. (Memo to self --pay attention).