Payette Lake Loop Ride

Gordy here narrating the story now. Jenni told of the Little Ski Hill 18 Mile Loop ride. What Jenni did not tell is how she took a spectacular endo which resulted in several minor flesh wounds and a total loss of my sense of humor. Jenni is healing up very well and my sense of humor was nothing to brag about in the first place.

It was Jenni's spectacular endo that prompted the choice of our next ride: mostly flat, mostly paved road around Payette Lake, starting and ending in McCall. Excellent ride for us novice bike riders. Joy.

This was our first ride with a guest! Our friend Nina (pronounced "nine-ah") and her K2 full suspension T:nine Trailhead. Nice bike. I put road tires on Jenni's Specialized Expedition, and I chose my Townie 7 speed. We parked at Lardo's (historical greasy spoon) and pedaled on down the road. We reached the North end of Payette Lake had snackies on the beach. Weather could not have been better.

After polishing off a box of crackers (mostly by me) we headed South down the East side of the lake. Partially paved road and some uphill riding, nothing hectic to report. Saw the latest lake-side condos and cabins and outright mega-mansions under construction. Mostly we saw the reason why we live here, which is pretty trees, lakes and mountains. And nice fresh air!
Got back into McCall and the traffic of a lakeside tourist town in the midst of a tumultuous building boom. And it was along those roads that it was cemented in my mind why I prefer riding mountain trails. Some lady honked her horn and gestured angrily at us as she drove by. What reason could she have to angry with us? We were riding as close to the edge of the road as we possibly could. I was constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure we weren't about to be annihilated by a truck.
I read a blog of a very cool dude in the bicycle industry who said that people, even bicycle people, undergo a personality change the instant they get behind the wheel of a car. Crankiness, the nagging sense of being in a hurry, impatience, insensitivity to all others around your vehicle consume your mind. It just seems to happen.
I would rather challenge my mind and body on the trails in forests and mountains rather than take my chances on the pathways of 4000 pound death machines and their distracted pilots. I will now step down from my soapbox.
All in all it was a very pleasant ride and good exercise. We rode back to Lardo's, loaded up our bikes and headed home. Another Tuesday ride in the books.