me vs the old gods

Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:48 pm

Me vs. The Old Gods

I took off this morning for one of my familiar runs, LG to Riverbank, to Bolton Landing, and back. Somehow I decided to get stuck in traffic in the Village. On purpose, though I didn’t think of it that way, I wanted to see how busy Lake George was right now (very). Heading up Rt. 9, past the split for 9N and Bolton, I was behind a couple on aerobar equipped road bikes. Motivation, they were about two minutes ahead of me. Could I catch them? It’s a steady climb up towards Warrensburg, and I’m working to stay above 8mph during the ascent. They are getting closer, bit by bit.
I do catch them on the descent, but they turn off left for the hills just before the Northway interchange. Doubt they ever saw me coming.
Hard Luck is at about 90% condition, a new shifter has resolved my chain skipping issue, which had made it hard for me to feel confident standing up on the pedals. I took a brief pause at Riverbank. A greyhair leans out of the passenger side of a car, a recumbent on the roof, and points out the dark clouds coming from the northwest. I reply I can chase them back home.
Now I know I’m in much better condition, the climb up Valley Road is a bit flatter than it was in the spring. No struggle, no getting out of breath. But Zeus is starting to race me, shooting lightning bolts off in the distance, though the sun is still shining down where I am. To the top is a mile and a half. After that it’s a terrific glide, I stayed in the tuck and reached 35 mph, fast as I think I can go on this converted mountain bike. Zeus is thundering to the southwest. During the climb, a pair of jet black tour busses passed me. Reading recent news I think, is the President here? Naw.
Descending towards Bolton, I see the same car with the recumbent bike atop coming up the other way. Going too fast to wave. Wonder if he saw me. Must have. I wanted to stop and shop in Bolton, it’s more laid back than the Village, but the Gods are chuckling, and I don’t have my backpack on, so I keep on moving.
RT. 9N, Lake Shore Drive. In my rock and roll days we referred to it as the Ho Chi Minh Trail, heavily police patrolled, yet still the scene of some bad car wrecks. The rock bar business is no longer what it once was, though I was making a living at it, and that is really overall a good thing. The road winds, climbs up and down, and at this time of year is very busy. Not recommended for casual riders. But I know it well, and now can stand up for the short climbs and keep a steady pace, and work with the car and service truck traffic. Zeus is still laughing.
But at the end, it was a tie. He let his brother Neptune unleash the rain as I hit the Village. I reveled in it as I made my way to Stewarts. I laughed as the store manager apologized to me for the storm. I stood outside and watched the lightning with a coffee in hand and simply relaxed.
The old gods grumbled, but they did not beat me. I had the last laugh.

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:46 pm

Chapter two.

Saturday, everybody at work and online pooh-poohed the coming storm. I did not. Smelling the weather is a major part of my daily life up here.

Neptune was Pissed. And not just at me.

I took off for work at 7 sharp Sunday morning, and had a ball of a ride, with the wind at my back as I moved south. I was literally pacing the lines of rain on the highway. I like going the wet a lot, less drag, and these tires are working well. I can't quote speed, I was having too much fun to pay attention.

going home at 2:30 was quite another story. It was the same, unrelenting rain, but just bigger, with some real weight behind it, and now coming at me from the same direction. The highway looked too unpredictable. The only choice was the Bikeway.
Helmets are very good things in these situations.

I figured the railroad cut the trail sits on over French Mountain would be shelter from the wind. My only big worry was the creek from Bloody Pond south, and how flooded it would get. But everything was was cool, the rail-bed still above the water going by on either side.
Climbed over nearly a dozen trees, not unexpected. Took my time, in a rush, but not rushing. Keeping eyes up and ears open.
I rejoined 9 only to find it closed at Magic Forest. (9L? Beach Road? I dunno) So its dive back down the trail. And I get all the way to the bottom. Beach Road. Dog Beach. From the water, yep, it's a hurricane all right. Gawkers in suvs, begging to stall in the water. I make it though about a foot high flood in front of the fort to the village.
But all my focus was on a house, and people.

Was it crazy and unnecessary? Hard to say, work was necessary, got mouths to feed (mine for sure the biggest), bills to bay, and I was sure I could do it.

A place like Lake George is built to withstand these storms, we humans just get in the way. Vermont, too. I have friends near Killington who have been stranded for days. We were lucky. Our creek showed a wrath I've never seen before firsthand. We were very lucky.