Rope Mill

My dad was in town again last week and we managed to sneak a ride in this past Friday.

I say "sneak" but "force" might be the more appropriate verb. We both frantically threw everything together that we'd been working on all day and arrived at the Rope Mill lot at nearly 7 PM with just over an hour to ride.

I generally have this rule about how the ride must last longer than the drive to/from the ride and also this rule about just not forcing a ride, but every now and then it turns out to have been worth it, so I went for it, and it all turned out ok.

There's not much to tell about the ride itself really. Rope Mill is fast and flowing and just generally fun to ride. My Dad's in good shape these days so following him was like chasing a little blue fighter jet through the woods. We rode the new section of the Explorer Trail. For some reason, my Dad and I are both prone to chattering away when we ride together, so we did plenty of that too.

Man, it was great. The best part though, and it's one of those memories that I think is going to last... We were finishing up, heading back to the lot and the light was beginning to fail. In the distance I could hear the traffic on 575. I love the sound of distant traffic for some reason. We came around some corner and the warm glow of the lights in the lot suddenly became visible. It had been warm all day, a typical late summer day, but at the end of the day there it had cooled off just slightly. It was a hint of fall, or maybe the promise of fall. Right then we hit a short little descent.

All together: my Dad winding through the woods ahead of me, the fading light, the traffic in the distance, the welcoming street lights, that quick burst of speed, that unexpectedly cool air... it was perfect. A perfect moment. I think I'm going to remember it for a long time.

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes forcing a ride works out just right.