Ouch.

One short break for a photo op today.

11:31 am. Damn. I have a pinched nerve in my neck. But it is such a damned nice day for a ride, I’ve decided I will enjoy myself no matter how freakin’ miserable I feel.

Patched and re-patched, and covered with sticks and fallen leaves and all manner of stuff, the trail looks to me like Autumn is beginning to do it’s thing.

3:17 pm. I don’t suppose it could be the Ibuprofen, could it? I mean, that had to have worn off hours ago – I took it at 8:00 am. So was it the endorphins? Perhaps it was the vibratory neck massage I got from hitting months-old, unpatched frost heaves and swaths of washboard at foolhardy speeds. Or maybe the pain in my legs from riding as hard as I possibly could today redirected the signals the pinched nerve was sending to the pain centers of my brain. Whatever the case, my neck feels a whole lot better at the moment.

3:18 pm. I wonder if there’s a Guinness in the fridge at home?

4:23 pm. Oh yes there is!