The Singletrack Diaries

Fall in the Rockies

It was a fine Indian summer day for a ride, the kind of day that Colorado is known for. The leaves that hadn’t been killed by last week’s snow were still showing some color, even green in a few cases, and their brilliance was accentuated by the deep azure of the cloudless sky. The trails were dry and beckoning and the tunes were cranked. Usually, the music gives way to my thoughts and the thrill of the ride but this day, I thought I would track the soundtrack as the miles passed under my tires. I noted that my first climb was accompanied by Logue and the Banshee’s “Johnny Jump Up”, a rousing Irish number that demanded a sing-along.

Well, what climbs up must come down and I did…hard! My brief miscalculation and crash had the sounds of Sunny Sweeney singing “East Texas Pines” ringing in my ears on the way to the ground. A little dusting off, a draw to clean the dirt out of my Camelbak hose, and a quick bunny hop over some downed limbs and it was back to snaking-through-the-woods time followed by yet another climb. The perfect hammering song in “Lights Out”, the UFO classic done by Pat Travers cranked up as I cranked the pedals and rode up and out of the river basin. ‘Lights out, lights out in London…’

A little Marley is just the thing to catch your breath and the mellow sounds of “Satisfy My Soul” fit perfectly with the sunshine and gentle ups and downs that preceded the third climb. While another mellow tune might have fit blasting across the meadow a little better, I can never turn down Anti Flag singing “The Bright Lights of America”. It probably cut my time by half! Discuss amongst yourselves: how random is the random play mechanism in your MP3 player?

One more climb and then turn for home. The last climb was a workout to the one-two punch (should I even admit this?) of Bon Jovi and Simple Plan. Jon contributed “You Give Love a Bad Name” and the Cannucks roared back with “You Don’t Mean Anything”.

The last couple of miles back home are pretty mellow and always a good time just to listen to the tunes and turn the pedals. Bob was back as I made the turn for home and I imagine a few saw me sing along with “I Shot the Sheriff”. As I hit the lake, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes pumped up the pace with their version of “Hava Nagila”. Why don’t people keep their dogs on a leash? Finally, back on the streets toward the house the fantastic closing song of Casting Crown’s Lifesong album came on for a perfect ending to a great fall ride. Come along next time?