January 4, 2007

Dismal Swamp Bike Trail - 5 miles

Just a couple handfuls of photos from my outing today.


DSBT- Beginning


A curve and my favorite pic


dsbt-another curve


Click to see a vine, a huge vine, to me anyway.


dsbt-twisted vine


Click to see part of an old mill or barn!!


dsbt- old mill or barn


Schwinn! "It's hot"


dsbt-stylin bike


The Bridge, a wee one


dsbt-bridge dsbt-bridge view


The other side and ghosts!


dsbt-other side canal dsbt-ghost


The marker


dsbt-nautical marker


A few more curves...


dsbt-curvy

January 2, 2007

A Reappearance: I thought I lost it.

I really tried to have an excellent New Year's Eve. I couldn't get in the mood for anything or find anything for my mood. I did drink an entire bottle of wine, which left me, the next day, feeling a little poopy for a few hours. I did talk to Lulu for forever and that was fun!

Yesterday I took my bike out for a ride (6 miles). It took too long (because of Brooke) and we had a spot of hard rain but we were at the rest area, under shelter, when that happened. The rest of the time it was sprinkly and beautiful. I could have easily have mistaken it for fall because it was warm and leaves were all over the ground and LOTS of gum balls everywhere.

I have to give credit to the folks who made the path, except for that 1/4 mile part that is exposed to the highway! It was curvy and had some great views (as great as they could be of the Intercoastal Waterway/Dismal Swamp, hand dug by slaves, poor fellows) and a few bumps that would allow me to coast on forever it seemed. There were a few interesting markers with 1916 etched into them and one for a nautical mile marker or something, I don't know, but I know it was for boats. On the way back it was nearly 5pm and it was getting ever so slightly cooler and fog started to form over the water and it was fantastic!

I must make note of a possible ghost sighting. Now I'm not 100% sure but I cannot deny I "saw" something. I wasn't moving fast and yes I did take another look as soon as I saw it and made sure it wasn't a stump, a tree or shrubbery(!) behind it. There was nothing that looked like what I saw beside the tree where I saw it. I saw it move, a man, transparent and gray with a hat and he hid behind a tree and popped out on the other side, crouched down or bent over in the sneaky way one does. As soon as I saw it I rode up to my brother and told him with 95% certainty that I just saw a ghost.

Historical info for my area includes The Battle of South Mills; where the Union wanted to blow up our locks, a captain burned his own ship and the fighting stopped because of the oppressive heat. Sympathizers and deserted soldiers hid in the swamp along the canal and attacked federal ships carrying important war supplies and all that kinds of stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah all very interesting.

Today and well since about a mile into the biking, my ass hurts! So I need to get some huge gel pads for my seat for my pelvic pressure points. I mean really do I need to feel like I've been abducted and probed?

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