winterbadger | Sunday fun

Saturday evening was fun. I worked the Screaming Eagles' tailgate, helped drag stuff into the stadium storage area afterwards, met up with a friend who was coming to watch the game, and enjoyed watching DC beat New England 1-0. I keep being not terrifically happy with some of the elements of DC's performance, but we've lost only one game of our first eleven, we are top of the league by three points, and we have two players on the top six scoring chart. Some people might call that good performance. :-)

Sunday, after a long sleep-in, I went out with C&M to REI, where I spent flipping wodges of cash on a hydration pack, some new shirts, a bike lamp, a book of regional bike rides, and some underwear. I was tempted by a cargo rack for Rupert, but I think I'll get that at the local shop, just so as to support them with most of my bike purchases. I still want to get a proper pack, some panniers to go with the cargo rack, and one or two other odds and ends, but I have to save some purchases for next trip. :-)

Then we got lunch at Chipotle, loaded all our new goodies into their car, and went up to the mountains. We went along Skyline Drive to a trail that Mel had picked out near Compton Gap. We went up to the top of the ridge, then took two spurs to overlooks on either side of the trail. The views were just wonderful, and were enhanced by the approach of a big pile of storm clouds. Sure enough, as we were leaving the first overlook, it rumbled and rumbled and began to shower. Then, as we trekked across to the other outlook and then started back down the trail, it began to rain properly. It wasn't raining too hard, though, and it was really quite pleasant to walk down the hill with the rain splahing through the leaves abouve us. Mel and Chris had brough little highly-compressible rainjackets, but I just enjoyed the cool water dripping down through the trees onto me. And, thanks to our shopping expedition, I had a nice dry shirt to put on once I got back to the car.

Hiking in the woods and mountains, especially when the weather is pleasant, and with good company, is terrifically nice. I am very fortuante to live where I do and to have such nice friends to spend time with. We stopped on the way home and had dinner at an Indian restuarant (the food was a little too salty, and the waiter seemed to believe int eh principle of benign neglect), then trundled back to our cats and very welcome beds!