Fixed Explorer
take me home to fixedgear hooligans..
I often blend my favorite hobbies together and try to intertwine them at times. For instance, I geocache with my cousin on occasion, and I ride a fixed gear bike, and I hike as well as Cross Country Ski...so this winter....I will probably fixie to a geocache or two in the snow or XC ski to a geocache or on a former hiking trail...just mix it up a bit to keep life interesting. We often plan long hikes around the geocaches in the area and get some great scenery and photos on our journeys. So today, my cousin asks me, "where does that one road lead to??" and I figure...I will check it out later on my grass fixie. And so begins another Fixie Exploring adventure.
I must have passed these roads hundreds of times in life and never checked them out...so I ventured out into the November cold with my faithful Dawes looking to find out where it leads. I headed down my road, bundled up with temps in the mid to high 30s and a steady but bearable breeze. I enjoy the Pennsylvania winters and I am looking forward to some healthy snowfall again this year so I don't fret when the temps dip and the flurries begin floating before me as I ride...I actually smile in anticipation of that first dump of white! I had on my woolie beanie and it keeps me, Oh so comfy!! I have actually caught myself falling asleep with it on in the past, not on the bike!
So I am spinning along, enjoying the roadways, sort of free from traffic on this day. The uphills are not too taxing for me now that I have been back upon the bike regularly once again. Enjoying the feeling of pumping my legs up the hills. Gripping on the ends of my grips low on the bars. Coming down to the mystery road, I figure I will approach it in a different way. I will spin up to it from below and ride to the reservoir to see it as well. I have witnessed the reservoir first hand once before in the summer and have always wanted to make my way there again. Now seems like a good time and I know I can approach the mystery road from there so I carry on. Now, the reservoir has a few signs up here and there about trespassing so I would never dare to break the law regarding those signs. Instead, I spin down and enter a deer trail, just behind a PA state Police barracks and approach the water supply along the creek...no signs here!?! Onward I crank til I am staring up at the spillway. The spillway isn't very steep...very gradual...thank God as you will understand later. The water at the base is quite deep with a nice deep hole that gives me fishing ideas come spring. Very cool area back here, you can tell it isn't travelled frequently, a few ducks are visible on the far side. The reservoir itself isn't large as it only supplies a tiny town of less than 900 souls. Very pretty scenery in this area. This picture below is from summer. Great scenery in the surrounding area as well.
So I check out the area around the reservoir, exploring the nice area...a few flurries tumbling around me...quite a contrast to the summer above. I inspect the spillway closer, examining the walls and the slope. The water is barely trickling over this day and I get the brilliant thought of climbingdown and balancing across the easily 40 foot to the other side...get down first and maybe hoist the bike with me and catch the deer trails I can see on the other side. Well, I step down, holding tightly to the top of the wall but before I have a chance to respond, I slip...the surface like ice from the algae, luckily I slide down the spillways...luckily as opposed to falling in the DEEP water of the reservoir that is no doubt hovering in the 40 degree range.
I am grasping the entire way down at anything my hands can grab...which is nothing but slimy surface. I am digging in the heels of my diadoras as tight as humanly possible to slow my descent...it is a little useless as well. At the bottom I dig in tight for the plunge to the depths below and my ass and cycling pants finally catch a good hold on the little level edge at the bottom and I stop dead. Of course I have a few tears along my cycling pants, My ass has a nice scrape or two. But hell, I am stopped!
So I ponder the stupidity of the whole incident as I carefully stand and climb over the wall to the safety of the bank. Whew, that was a little closer than I choose to ever get to a hairy situation...but I am standing firmly on solid ground once more...maybe it is time to move on to safer ideas and just check out that road and get home before the wet pants chill me to the core. So I climb on my faithful Dawes, which would probably laugh its seat off if it was animate after watching some of the exploits of its owner. I climb on and begin the ride over to the road. Nice spinning along around the corners and toward a bridge that lies over the creek that supplies the reservoir. The bridge is on the first part of the road and leads up a steep hill. This is the Mystery Roadway that I have come to see where it leads. My suspicions are that this road leads up to a city municipal supply building or comes up to the back field of some nearby farms, In which case gives me the oppurtunity to quietly...thanks to the fixie...sneak up on some game birds or deer.
Upward I begin the cranking...a long and laborous crank, the stinging on my derriere from the abrasion that will no doubt send me into a cry of pain once I hit the shower later...I crank upward. I begin to see the clearing. I can make out one aluminum storage building and I begin to think I am confirming my idea of the township or city storage. Toward the top I squint to make out what appears to be a home. Yep, a private residence stands atop the steep hill as I gulp for some air after the climb...suddenly I hear the sound I don't want to hear right about now...always at the most inoppurtune time. I am tired, legs burning, ass stinging, hands gripping tightly...as I spot a Large black object...obviously a bit annoyed at my presence making its way quickly downward toward my motionless body, I hesitate as a begin a slow circle, backpedal and whip around and begin spinning downward at a great velocity. Now lets look at the Dawes in a few of its finer details.
1950s Dawes frameset. no brakes, fixed gear without a lock ring...I know I know! knobby treads, No brakes...did I mention that? drop steel bars, not covered on top with only a set of ritchey old skool true grips on the down ends.
So I begin my great escape...my legs buzzing away as my rear wheel skips around on the steep loose rocks and gravel that line the hill I just climbed. The sound that surrounds me is growling and barking and curse words...the words are mine. As I near the bridge I note the tiny bump going up onto the steel bridge, Cripes I think, can it get any worse...I already see in my head the consequences that lie before me. knowing the the tiny bump is at least a 6 inch upward leap...I will need to lock up, level out, and give a quick lerch to clear it...this isn't that hard for me, I have done this many a times...but that steel bridge is gonna be like ice and let me tell you it is wet!! I can see the landing...hurling out of control onto the grate bridge...or over the side into the creek. I decide to take a chance with the beast that bears down on me rather than replay a Tour duPont stage I watched years ago on TV where some amateur went down on a steel bridge losing a finger...after all, a bite on my stinging ass would just fit right in about now!
So I lock up the wheel and skid sideways, quickly dismounting to place my bike between the dog and I...perfectly executed...haha. Something finally went right for me! Maybe! I hear a sound to my other side and see another dog coming from the woods to join the "party". Dear God, why me today? I turn and slowly make my way fending off the two Canines with the steel steed until I get onto the bridge and realize they have no interest in walking on the steel grates with their paws. I am finally out of harms way. So I return to the main roadway and slowly make my way back home. Feeling the burning on my backside knowing when I peel off those wet pants it won't be the only item peeling off....My ride to the mystery road ends...and with it does my desire to ever explore that route again. Not that I will ever hesitate to check out other unknown trails in the future. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, you know?
Please note, all my exploits and adventures truly have taken place...though funny now
I ofter think back to what could have been...never go where it says no trespassing...haha..sorry
I almost had myself believing I was serious. Take Care and Ride hard! Take a cold shower if it remains that way!