Riding with the Coyote and why does it have to taste like an Apple Jolly Rancher?

This past weekend I put in some descent mileage. I was on call on Saturday so I decided to run some additional calls to give me some doe for just being on call since mine is a commission based job where I don't make any doe unless I finish a job. In other words I don't get paid for losing a day to sitting around waiting for my phone to ring.
I made the most of it though. I brought my bike along for a lunch ride excursion which was originally intended for the Highlands Ranch Trails but my last call before lunch had me just down the road from the Stone House Trail in Lakewood.
The Stone House Trail is nothing spectacular though it is pretty and it reminds me sorta of the trails in Eastern North Carolina where I first started mountain biking just 12 short years ago.

Oh on that point, I've also been quit smoking for 12 years too. Yeah me.



Back to the Stone House trail, which is multiple trails of social networks that surround Bear Creek between Wadsworth Blvd and Bear Creek Lake Park. Its mostly flat with a few swoopy sections and an elevation gain or loss of maybe 30 ft, Total. Its not a favorite around these parts but its great for putting in the miles in the winter especially when you tie it all together with Bear Creek Lake Park. Which is what I did.

Somewhere around 20ish miles of snow pack, snow drifted(Bear Creek Lake Park) trails with maybe a mile of pavement to tie it all together.

So there in the middle of my ride while riding pavement beside a golfcourse that strictly forbids bicyclist or pedestrians from doing anything on their golfcart paths I see a coyote about 25 yards into the golfcourse. For almost a mile this coyote runs following my direction but never intercepting me. I have to admit it gave me that whole "Dances with Wolves" tingling feeling but in reality it was more likely that coyote was just trying to figure out a way to take me down and eat me.



Sunday the Mad Scientist came over and we took Ayla down to the Stone House to throw down some miles on the bike paths. We got in over 2 and a half hours of riding where at one point Ayla broke down but a quick offer of hot chocolate at the next store we see calmed her down and got us through the rest of our ride with smiles and Ayla with a laughing scream for me to go faster every time the Mad Scientist made a break for it.



Later yesterday evening I picked up some Mike's Hard Lemonade Special Edition : Spiced Apple. Sure I was in a fruity mode I reckon as it was beer I was originally intending and beer that should of been purchased. I've never had the pleasure of having hard lemonade and its a good chance I won't after drinking the Spiced Apple which tastes more like a liquefied Apple Jolly Rancher. If I was five this would of been fine but I've grown a wee bit more refined in my tastes as I've aged.