Thursday Dog Pond

Scored a new front tire for the singlist, a 2.25, bigger than the 2.1 i was rocking, but unfortunately not much... wish the shop had had the 2.5.  Anyway.  Installed it, chucked it on the car, chucked the dog in, and motored out to Bottle Lake.  Like a Jet, well, actually he is a Jet, down the first avenue and we headed in left.  Kept a good pace in just to warm up and it certainly wasn't too fast for him.  Stopped briefly at the pond that's in there and he had a good sniff about and i put more air in the back and a little out of the front, and we carried on.  Great blast through this next section but when we got to the end found a big blockage and Danger tape on the next section, bunch of trees dropped over the trail.  Thinning...  fuck it.  Nothing to do but go across the nearly 1km stretch of sand called Lima Rd up to Seventeenth Ave.  Rode some, but not much, way too sloppy.  Made me wish i had a Pugsley, and wonder how a Krampus would have done...  A right on 17th, and back down to the singletrack, Jet finally starting to slow a little...  Hung a right to head towards Spencer Park, and through this section i'd not been on for a while, then remembered i had my phone, and earplugs...  Got the sounds on, and it was a whole nother world.  Forest starting to get darker.  At the turn off for Spencer's a small rabbit appeared and Jet went after it.  I went after him, towards Spencers, but he came back over the first rise, so we headed back onwards.

Bursts of speed through sections but it really was getting darker, so on Muddy Rd, aka 13th Ave, i stopped and set up my light.  It worked.  Next section of forest i found good, then next, and then open(ish) bit with crappy washouts, then into what used to be Andrew's favourite.  Near the end of this i stopped and turned off the light and rode in the dark for a bit.  Fun.  Barely visible ribbon of silver in the darkness.  As i came out to the 20th/Golf/Foxtrot intersection there was a couple of walkers that Jet and me stealthed up on and past and on into the forest, just with a "hi" to them (i think they were 'high', truth be told) then it started to really get too dark, so light back on (would have looked cool to them)...  On through and back to base, no lights on the return to the carpark.  All up, about an hour on the bike, i guess...  maybe less.