In My Element

The Lord, through his amazing grace, opened this day with a beautiful morning sun and mostly clear skies! After several days of grey, rainy, and cold days & after a night of intense emotional anguish last night it was a tender mercy, blessing, and a welcomed sight to wake up to the morning sun and mostly blue skies! Jessica and I planned at the beginning of this week a trip up to her cabin in Swan Valley, Idaho. She has been wanting to take me there for several months now and we finally put it on the calendar.

We were going to bring Jessica's four-wheelers up there and going four-wheeling, but the four-wheelers ended up being unavailable for us to use. Plan B: Mountain bikes! (My preferred plan). We loaded up the bikes in my truck this morning and took off. As we drove closer to Swan Valley I began to recognize the mountains and terrain. I realized that that is where I went in September to go canoeing with my friend Curtis. It is a very pretty area - very green, lush, and the scenery is beautiful!

We got to the dirt road that led up to Jessica's cabin and due to the rain over the past few days the road was muddy, not to mention the deep ruts that were already there. In my mind I thought, "Sweet! 4 wheel drive baby!" With my truck in 4 wheel drive we hauled up the mountain with only a few fish tails on the way, but secretly wishing for a bit more slide-age. When we got to Jessica's cabin she gave me the grand tour of her family's 1 bedroom cabin that her dad built in the 90's. It is a very cute cabin that is set on a mountain over looking the Snake River below.

Next we geared up, unloaded our bikes from the truck, and began our adventure! Had I known what the trail we were riding up was going to be like I would have worn different clothes. Thinking this was going to be an easy stroll in the park ride I wore every day clothes instead of clothes more suited for the conditions. The trail we rode up was the very same trail we drove in on, but in an even muddier state than we had experienced. I wanted to make it to the next flat part of the road in one attempt but because the trail was so muddy my tire just spun in place resulting in mud flying everywhere. Needless to say, I got off my bike and walked the rest of the way with Jessica while sliding on the mud that was beginning to get caked on the bottom of my chacos and bike tires. I was in heaven! I thought, "No chacos, no mud, no bike...no fun!"

We finally made it to the flat part and Jessica hopped on her bike and continued up the mountain while I stopped to take a few pictures and shed the fleece jacket I was wearing. I then jumped on my bike and started hauling up the mountain to catch up with Jessica. As I passed her, huffing and puffing, I asked her how much more up there was to go. She wasn't sure, but shortly thereafter I came around a bend and saw the road switchback two more times before it reached the top - a good 200-250 yards ahead, which didn't seem bad until I realized the increase in it's slope!

The rest of the way to the top was a stop and go process with none stop huffing, puffing, and gasping for air. When I couldn't push myself any further I'd stop, take a breather, snap a few pictures, and then do it all over again. It was awesome! We finally made it to the top. We all know what happens when you get to the top...it's downhill baby! I cranked my gears up and began peddaling hard to gain speed. The majority of the ride down the hill, which was about 100 yards, was made of up washboard-like terrain. It became very obvious to me after going down this hill that I needed to work my arms out! Too much "Relief Society arm" jiggling around!

The further and further I rode up the mountain the more and more I felt like I was in my element. The clouds in the sky were glorious, the surrounding aspen trees were amazing, the slight breeze was refreshing, the mountains were rejuvenating to the soul, the Snake River below brought peace, the wide open green fields brought a sense of freedom, the wildflowers brought back tender memories, and the quiet and stillness of nature brought solace to my heart. I was completely in my element. I was home.

The field at the top of the mountain was dotted with many cow pies. A smile grew on my face and I laughed out loud as my mind raced back to all of the experiences I have had with cow pies - one of my favorites being Angie's and my adventures at Jerky Butte in Arizona when we squatted over cow pies..... (Those pictures can be found on the right column of this page). Jessica and I sat at the top of the mountain in the middle of this beautiful grass field and talked while we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. I loved looking around and seeing the mountains and trees as well as laying down and looking up into the sky at the clouds. I felt a connection to each of the elements of nature that I was surrounded by.

The wind picked up a bit making it a little chilly and some dark clouds started to roll in, so we decided to head down the mountain back to the cabin. I thought it would be fun to record a video of me riding down the mountain. Jessica and I jimmy -tied my camera to the strap of my camelpack that went across my chest and hoped it wouldn't fall off during the bumpy decent down the mountain. I pushed record and hopped on my bike for a fun adventure down the side of a muddy mountain. Thank goodness for my camera and my clothes I didn't have any crashes or endos (flying over the top of my handlebars), although it would have been fun to have a good wrestling match with the mud. Those are good for the skin and soul every once in a while.

It took only a matter of about 7 minutes to decend the mountain that took us a good 45 minutes to ride up, but the decent was a ton more fun than the ride up. The ride up is for the exercise and opportunity to take in all of the beauty, which I love. But the decent is for the adrenaline rush, which I love too.

We loaded everything up in the truck and began our journey home. This adventure took it out of Jessica - she zonked out rather quickly for the entire ride home. Me, on the other hand, continued to enjoy, take in all of the beauty I drove by, and allowed gratitude fill my heart for the blessings of the morning.

[Note: Pictures will be posted soon of this adventure. I'm having problems loading them.]