Ridin'... In Style

Dad and I met up with Cory in Canmore on Friday afternoon to follow up on a promise made long ago. I kept telling Dad I'd take him mountain biking when he came out here. He always brings his stuff, but in the past we have run out of time to get a ride in. This time we made sure we scheduled a time to go. I talked to Cory and he arranged to get Dad a kick-ass full suspension bike from Couloir out in Canmore. The guys there were nice enough to let him use the demo bike for free. Cory also went the extra distance and borrowed from a friend a set of pedals that Dad's shoes could clip into. To top it all off, he took us to a bitchin' downhill! After riding up the Smith-Dorien road for a very, very long time, we reached the trailhead and gave our legs a much-needed rest. The signs posted at the top were a little ominous-looking ("Steep Hill" and "Most Difficult") but I was getting really excited! I love an adrenaline-pumping, fear-inspiring downhill (considering this fetish, one would think I'd invest in a full-suspension bike rather than a hard-tail.) The first few turns were a little gravelly so Dad and I took it pretty slow, but once this was over it was awesome, technical, steepish single track! It was everything I look for in a trail! Bitchin'! I will be heading out for that one again for sure. Riding up hill for 30-45 min. sucks, but it's totally worth it.

Now for the "In Style" part. I sucked it up this morning and put a deposit on my NEW CAR!!! I discovered that Omar was going to need even more pricey repairs so I'm cutting my losses and quitting while I'm no longer ahead. I will try to find someone to buy him for a very small price, hopefully get some of the money back that I just spent to fix him. Otherwise, I will donate him to charity. As of Monday or Tuesday, I will be the proud new owner of a black 2002 Mazda Protege 5! It has 5-speed manual transmission, 86000 kms, a souped-up air filter, and is in very good shape. I can't wait to zoom zoom zoom! The really good news is that I won't have to rent a car for my trip anymore, and I'm going to buy a roof rack so I can bring my bike now too! Things are really looking up!

Dad and I and the ominous signs

Dad and Cory, with Ha Ling peak in the background.