Still Slightly Mentally Paralyzed

Patty and I have been out of town - on a good old-fashioned road trip. The kind where you (pretty much) unplug, and distance yourself from your everyday environment and take in some great new scenery and experiences and . . . forget. You know, recharge your soul and all that jazz. And I did just that, for the most part.

Well, except that: I can't stop thinking about the Cd'A Nat'l Forest.



I know my post about the trip was extremely lame. Reason being, it was a monumental experience and composing any kind of essay that would do it justice was monumentally out of my reach, both in terms of time and ability. The whole damn thing was just so new and different and rad. For a rational, coherent, totally respectable treatment of the experience, head over to Alex's post.

But don't get the idea that I'm done talking about it. I have a blog and as I see it, that entitles me spew out a bunch of random krap. I think it's a form of therapy for dealing with an experience that totally dumped me on my head.

This super-light dry bag was new for this trip. I was able to stuff my tent in it, which allowed me to strap the tent directly to my rear rack so I didn't have to take up pannier space. Twenty bucks beautifully spent.



You know the Coghlan's mini-bungees that we all dig?



Except for the fact that the hooks are v-shaped and you can't hook 'em to any respectable rack? Well, come to find out on the day before the trip, that's all changed. Coghlans got the hint and revamped the hooks. Now they fit 3/8" diameter rack tubing perfectly. Suh-wheat.



When you're climbing to the moon, you may sweat a bit. It may be desirable to replenish the salts that are fleeing your body with expensive name-brand supplements. Or you can just rock your world with these inexpensive double-reprocessed nut-derivative shapes.



If you're running around with your buddies on primitive roads in a Subaru with almost no ground clearance and four bikes strapped to the roof or trunk and you run across a giant crevasse, don't second-guess yourself, just fill it with forest junk and roll on.



I've avoided every urge to buy a gps. Until now. After days of angst and as of last Friday, I own one. And holy hell. If anyone you know ever tells you how easy they are to use, just punch 'em right in the neck.

But the trip made me understand that it's a necessary evil. I bought the Garmin Oregon 450 because Alex did all the research. Left on my own, I could still be shopping in 2012.



I don't exactly how or when I'll make it back to the Cd'A NF. The only thing I know is that it will be sooner than later because I'm getting seriously tugged at and when that happens, you'll find a way.