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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Freeze frame

The sky radiated a deep blue this morning with frozen white pine trees silhouetted against it. It was a crystal cold winter morning.
The thermometer read -10°F this morning - even freezing our internet antenna. I was sorely tempted to skip my snow bike ride but I knew that spending some peaceful time in nature would make me calmer for the rest of my tough day. I wore more layers than ever before, including multiple jerseys, jackets, and pants. Although my outfit seemed ridiculous when I was indoors, it kept me warm for my entire ride. I rode my Fatback on fresh snow.
I had the company of rambunctious R.
And the comparatively serene K. Both dogs instantly developed frosty beards. The duo makes me smile - a very good thing.
The snow squeaked under my tires as I rolled over fluffy dry snow. The cold seemed to freeze-frame the world. No wisps of wind disturbed the forest. And, no animals stirred.

Despite the extreme cold, I ended my ride feeling happy that I managed to overcome my reluctance and went out into the forest. It was a special ride that I won't forget anytime soon. And, I was right - it soothed my soul later in the day as I looked at sobering MRIs of my spine. Unfortunately, I have a lot of training in human anatomy so I knew what I was seeing. I have some big decisions to make... One reader commented that he'd like a post that tells all about my spine so he can understand it better - I just might do that soon.

For now, all that I can do is enjoy each day that I can ride my bike with my canine companions.

I can't imagine a more dramatic contrast than my frozen world today compared to my sun-soaked world one week ago. I'll continue my series about our trip west tomorrow.

8 comments:

  1. Sorry to see the news from your MRI -

    It would be quite interesting for a post relating to that -

    Khyra is envious of the temps and the snow!

    Once again, thanks for sharing!

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  2. Ah, I was waiting for some word about your MRI. Hope it's not TOO bad, and looking forward to eventually reading all about it.

    As usual, though, we're so awestruck by your go-getter attitude! -10 degrees would have scared me inside, for sure.

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  3. Just remember, all us pups are with you no matter what MRIs tell you. We love going on rides with you even though we are pretending we are along!

    Kisses,
    Stella

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  4. you are tough, talented and terrific....-10...burrrrr, i'm pretty much a wimp with those kind of temps! you continue to amaze me...
    have a good weekend!
    xo

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  5. My wife suffers from chronic back pain, so I feel for you and wish you the best possible outcome.

    I don't know about you, but many of my best rides have been those that I almost skipped. Although at ten below, you'll have a hard time dragging me out of the house!

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  6. I wondered if you ventured out in the oh-so cold. One of our crusty-old-mtn-guy neighbors likes to say there isn't cold weather only cold clothes. I'm glad you stayed warm

    Sorry to hear about the MRI results, though. I'm sure you'll make a good decision.

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  7. Such breathtaking beauty - wow, wow, wow.

    We are so sorry about the test results. We hope there is some solution that is workable.

    Hugs, the OP Pack

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