Ohio Ridin'

Clipping along central Ohio's Olentangy River Bike Trail has proven to be a great way to get to work. Shielded from Grande-Mochachino-Latte-Vanilla-Whipped-Espresso-Dulce-de-Leche mugs of nerve jangling elixir by the path allows me to hum along at about 25mph (speed limit is 15 mph) on my Titus FCR hardtail mountain bike. The tires make all the difference. Lydia brought me home some KENDA Kwick-Roller-Sport 1.25" tires for my mountain bike, and HOLY COW those things are fast. Fat as a Christmas ham, I need all the help I can get, so I jack the pressure up about 80psi (20psi OVER the limit) and pound the trail along a stunning watershed. Ducks, geese, turtles, and these disguting ground-hog looking things roam the river banks...as does the occasional "cracker ass cracker" homeless guy. Even in Los Angeles, the homeless people aare almost exclusively white dudes that have that crazy Manson-Esque look in their eyes, and usually come equipped with one of those "Alice In Chains" stupid goatees. Where does one get employment with that goatee? is that patch of tangled, grisly chin-hair worthy of a life filled with gout and urine-caked alleyways?
A complete lack of elevation lends itsself to fast average spees, and watching my SIGMA BC1606's "pacer" arrows drives me through town at a brisk pace. Twenty mile an hour averages over fifty miles on a mountain bike aren't easy in Cali, but here it's not so bad. The pavement is well maintained, and these far-reaching rail-bed conversion trails seem to roll on to the horizon. Everyone here (even the roadies) are nice! OK, maybe not all of them...I rolled up on a pair of guys on Colnago's and passed them (after a two mile long chase), they were unhappy at first when they thought I was on a road bike. Once they realized I was on a mountain bike, it wasn't quite as good.
It was even "less good" when they saw my giant beer and chicken gut dragging the top-tube, passing them while talking to them. maybe fried chicken grease DOES have some nutritional benefit after all!
The trails roll from downtown's spactacular waterfront to the over reaches along both the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers. drivers are very courteous, and I'm guessing because they have no traffic to deal with they are more relaxed. I am told I must go to "Vulture's Knob" to do anything fun on dirt, but I worry about what a Vultures Knob might look or even smell like. I'll have to deal for a little while longer!

C