The Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence.

Up early to get ahead of the crowd? To see the wildlife stretching their morning legs? To see the sun break over the trees and rocks?

Yes, all of those, but mostly so we would not be blocking traffic as we biked up mountain.

We rode Needles Highway to Sylvan Lake, about 10 miles almost completely uphill (1500 feet elevation gain).

It was cool and crisp at 50°. On the way up, we were passed by 3 cars and 2 motorcycles. Other than that, it was a quiet early morning ride. We can talk to each other through our helmets, but that was limited, too. We were just taking it all in.

Well, there were some ooohs and ahhs - it is a gorgeous ride. And we did talk to the deer and a lone bison on the side of the road.

But mostly, it was quiet appreciation.

Before today, my favorite ride to date was the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Today, this ride, is the new benchmark. The Spires, the trees, the tunnels, the overlooks, the clear, clear, clear blue skies, and the quiet, the peace, the aloneness. Oh yeah, and the zoom zoom back down. That was good, too.

We got out at a good time. We rode up peacefully, hiked Sylvan Lake (different footprint), and then rode back down. The return trip was almost all downhill. We weren't too worried about the cars because we were mostly cruising at their speed.Read more