I was excited all week in anticipation for Sunday morning when Bob and I would go to Aliso Woods for our mountain bike ride. As we were getting ready to load the bikes, Bob announces that we will not be going to Aliso Woods, but right here in Whiting Ranch. What? I don't want to go to Whiting, I want to go to Alsio Woods. Bob states that if I could do that trail at Aliso, I could totally do the trail at Whiting. We were going in the back way and it is easy. I know by the tone of his voice that there is no use arguing. I've stated my position and it has been rejected!
We arrive at Whiting and we go through the entrance gate. Immediately there is a steep (according to me) downhill. I take in on! I take the extreme left track (like Bob) right by the tall grass. I am almost at the bottom when WHAM!!! I'm on the ground! As I'm going down the hill, my front tire starts heading into the tall grass, I put on the brakes and try to put my foot there, but because the ground is uneven, my foot does not find the ground and I fall over. BAM! my hip hits a rock (or two). My arm is all scratched up from landing on all the debris that has been thrown to the middle by all the biking on the outside. UHG! I quickly pick myself up. I try to force back the tears, but it is no use. I let go. I begin to really cry! Bob has finally looked back and he sees me pushing my bike over to the side of the trail crying. He rides over to me. "What happened?" Bob asks, "I fell" I sob. "You fell on that?" he asks in disbelief. There is no sympathy in his voice, he thinks I am going to quit right now and want to go home. He can see a $1000 wasted when I never touch that mountain bike again! I show him my arm that is all cut up and bleeding and it stings like mad. All I keep thinking is "I just wanted to go to Aliso Woods, Whiting is not on the Trail Angels beginning list" I get back on my bike and curtly say "Let's go". He leads the way, I'm crying as I'm riding my bike, wiping my face with my dirty gloves. Finally, I'm over it.
We go about 50 yards and there is another steep down hill with sand and ruts. I get off the bike and walk it. We go another 100 yards, another steep down hill, I get off and push. He tells me I can do it, it is all mental now. I start to cry as I'm pushing my bike up the trail. "Why are you crying?" Bob asks with distain. "I don't like pushing my bike, its not fun" I say in a whiny voice. We go on. I take some downhills on the bike, but mostly I get off and walk and did I mention that the whole time it is a gradual uphill and I am breathing like a locomotive! We transverse a really hard part and I try the hill, but end up walking my bike. As we reach the top and man and his teenage son approach from the other side. The father stops to give his son direction on how to take the down and uphill. The son sees the obstacle and exclaims, "Oh no!" All of a sudden a light goes off in Bob's head and he realizes this trail is not as easy as he originally thought. The father and son take on the ravine and we are left standing there. I'm trying to regain my normal breathing pattern when Bob says, "I see now how this is not an easy trail from your point of view. I'm sorry, give me a kiss." WHAT!!! Give you a kiss, NO @#$%*&^ WAY! I am not giving you the satisfaction of forgiveness! All I wanted to do was go to Aliso Woods and you forced me to suffer Whiting Ranch when I was not ready. I say no! He says, come on, I say NO. He says he's not leaving until I give him a kiss. I think of myself standing there all day, my ouchie stinging me and my hip aching and because I am such a softy, I forgive him and give him a kiss. After all, he admitted he was wrong!
We begin again. We go along pretty good. I'm huffing and puffing and I tell Bob this is all uphill and I turn the corner and see before me the BIGGEST HILL EVER! I stop. I state right there that there is no way I'm going up that hill! Time to turn around. He tells me that was as far as he planned on going. We only went about 1 mile in. Can you believe that? All that pain and torture and we only went 1 mile. If this was my very first mountain bike ride, I would never go again. Of course, going back is all downhill and we are out of the park pretty quick. I had to get off and push my bike, but I made it through alot of the ravines. There is alot of sand and it makes it hard to peddle and control my tires. The whole ride took an hour and about 15 minutes was the quick exit.
When we get home, I make him take a picture of my boo boo for you all to see. I want to go back and take a picture of the hill that made me fall, but Bob says that he would be pretty embarrassed to put a picture of that slope on the blog and tell everyone I fell going down it. Later on in the day I start to stiffen up and I have two MAJOR bruises on my hip. But, I plan to go to Aliso Woods on Wednesday and I am not giving up mountain biking. I will not be going on any trails that I feel are too advanced for me no matter what anyone (Bob) says.
