New Roads

I have been a little off the bike. Not to much but not as many miles as I like this time of year. There has been a lot to do on this now Island Home. So the day brought it's moment to go out and just point my finger and go that way. It's an Island and as long as the roads lead to water I should know where I am. I have a good GPS inside my head. Heading out to roads I have no idea where I will end up. I knew I was heading to the hilly area of the Island. Nice climbs, and a bit steep at that. Not very long, nothing over 1 1/2 miles max. Lots of go up and go down, steeper, longer, than rollers. Forested, then moments on the shore. A great mix. The down side is the mileage is a bit short on these off beat roads. I can do all the roads on the south side of the Island and not get 35 miles. Well, maybe a few more if I do some good planning. Today was not a day of planning but a day of exploration. It was fun! Well, till I found the road that lead to Glendale. A dark timber shroud road. It was always with out sun and the pavement looked to be never dry. A long descent, old houses right next to the road. Fences that are meant to keep eyes from looking in and had been doing their jobs for 50 years. The few homes and farms, old. Broken trucks with bumper sticker like "King of the Chainsaw". Places that never heated with anything but wood. Ate the food from the forest, deer and anything else that gets in the way. Families had owned these places for generations. Generations that never sold a car, but, just hauled it back from the road when it stopped running. Did I say it was a bit spooky. Wet slippery road going down at a steep angle. So steep that there were rumble strips to slow you down. No room to go around them on a bike to. I knew I could go back up that hill if I needed to. Slowly up that wet and mossy road. Then a sign came up for a stop ahead. From out of this dank wet forest came a old 2 story rooming house on my left at the stop. No right turn, it was all private and OLD just like this 1900s rooming house. Looked like a cat house to me for the loggers from the past. Seemed like there must have been bar or dinner room down stairs. So there I was at the bottom of this hill at the waters edge in a place that was still in the 1900s. Left turn to keep going and it was the steepest hill I have ever seen! I mean I was think of calling Mary Anne to come save me. It was just a monster. I'm sure a signal would not have got in there for the cel phone anyway. I just stood there at the stop sign looking at my way out of this time warped funnel zone. I put the bike in the smallest gear I had, a 34X25. An easy gear by my thinking. Well, till I looked at this wet, mossy, tree covered, and covered with broken tree branches from a recent storm. Sigh, I'm not sure I could walk up this hill! The good news was it was broken down in two parts. The first part from sea level to a small flat piece and then on to the next bit of hell. I started up the hill that might be the last hill I ever climbed. I was a little unsure about the heart rate. At my age it's best to not go to high. 172+- is getting over the top. I was past that in what seemed seconds. Over the bars to keep from falling on my back steep this hill was. I made it to the first flat relief. It was not that far! I stopped to let my heart rate come back down. What if I get to the top and it goes down to another place like I was trying to get out of and had another hill like this to do. I was thinking I only had one of these hills in my legs. I had no idea what was ahead of me. I still had to finish this monster to. Next leg of the climb was longer and just as steep. It looked so long for a short hill. My heart rate was maxed and I was trying to go easy and slow. I think I was seeing colored spots towards the end of the hill. The end was coming, the end of the hill. I had made it to the top and from there on was a modest flat to very short rollers. I mean I said a pray over that one. I'm not to sure my Van will get up this hill very easy, first gear maybe. New roads and new stories. I never would have thought this Island had a monster living on it. What will the next ride bring? I know where I'm not going to go!