Dirt Road Diary #16

I enjoyed some gravel-time recently with “Double Cross” after a long dry spell. The Garmin file showed that it had been almost 3 weeks since the last ride, which is unusual for this time of year. Mr. Ego was fine with that, and attempted to convince me that today was too windy as well, but some of the other monkeys that roam the treetops of my mind were able to reason with him. Suggesting that spending time in the sun and getting exercise was better than doing chores, reading the news, or any of the half dozen other reasons to not ride.

I headed into the wind as I normally do and it was tough. My breathing was labored, and my legs were screaming in agony. Mr. Ego took it as a cue to push his agenda. “See old man, we should be home in the BarcaLounger, drinking coffee and scrolling the news feeds and substacks.” I attacked the hills with renewed vigor just to spite him, getting out of the saddle and pushing a big gear up and over the top of a climb. As I reached the top, a Red-tailed Hawk with a four-foot wingspan lifted off a few feet from my front wheel. It had a rodent-breakfast clutched in a talon, and flew off to enjoy it in solitude.

Change Direction

Then I came to the intersection where I decided to turn north onto the wind. I got off the bike and walked off the lactic acid build-up from the anaerobic sprint over the top of the hill. I drank some water and ate an energy bar to recharge the glucose stores. With no tire crunching sounds, I could hear the Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds singing their prairie song, one of the reasons I enjoy riding the dirt roads so much. As I looked around, I noticed that the wheat heads were beginning to turn a golden hue. The contrast of gold and green in the field was striking. “What a beautiful morning,” said Mr. Ego.

I laughed at his pivot, as I got back on “Double Cross” and headed downwind. What a difference a direction change can make. I was reminded of a poem I published here a few years back and tried to recall the words as I pedaled down the road. Here’s the poem, “Round the Corner.” As I ripped down the road at 20+ MPH, my legs feeling limber and strong, the words of the poem wouldn’t come but another recollection danced into my thoughts. A dialogue between the Yaqui Shaman Don Juan Matus and his student, Carlos Castaneda.

Does This Path Have a Heart? <— [a link]

“This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.

Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy.”

~ Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

Riding a bike has been a powerful, joyful way for me to traverse the path with heart, for much of my life. I might bitch and whine sometimes that it’s hard and it hurts, but bikes have a way of making pain and suffering more pleasant. The only time in my sixty-five laps around the sun that I’ve strayed from the “path with heart” was when I didn’t have a bicycle. A bike just makes the journey to nowhere more joyful. I was pondering all of the bicycles I have owned and ridden over the years on a recent ride and whether there was one that meant more than the others – a favorite. My gravel steed “Double Cross” has gotten the bulk of the work for the last decade, so if I had to choose one, she would be the one. But since I don’t have to decide on a favorite, I won’t. I’ll just keep riding!

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ~ John Muir