After being cooped up in the office for a while, I was in dire need of some saddle time on my mountain bike! So I put out a call to my MTB buddies to go try some “new to me” singletracks at Pace Bend Park, TX. Only Jon was man enough for the task. When I finally found Jon at the park, we exchanged the normal pleasantries and then hit the trails!
It soon became apparent that my 50 year old body wasn’t near the match for the trails as I had hoped. Jon, who is 17 years my junior, was happily tearing up the trails and whooping it up with the myriad of jumps and obstacles this park has to offer. I hate to admit it, but I gassed about 7 miles in… There I was, somewhere in this park riding in circles with no idea how to get back to the FJ.
Jon and I finally found a road and realized we were at the exact opposite side of the park from where we parked. Not sure which direction would be more or less up-hill climbs, we sucked it up and started peddling. Jon took off like a rocket. I was sucking wind trying to encourage my legs to keep going. We finally made it back to the FJs with a whopping 14.2 miles traveled.
Had a great time out there and appreciate Jon meeting me for the ride. I managed to get down some ice cold beverages before loading the bike and looking for a place to wind down. I found a sweet spot, near the water, with a view. I setup my Rhino Rack Sunseeker 2.5m Awning and my “take anywhere” hammock took a little cat-nap (i.e. passed out).
All in all, it was a great day. My legs paid the price, but what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. There are a lot of great trails at this park and I recommend making the drive out to give them a try for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.