Chasing Sirens to Smiles
Foreshadowing Is Wasted on the Reckless
The fire truck and ambulance were already parked at the upper lot when I pulled in, lights still spinning through the ponderosas. Not exactly the welcome wagon you hope for on a Thursday evening ride. I sat there a second, watching the scene, thinking someone’s night just went sideways. Then I unloaded my bike anyway. Because that’s what you do.
The trail was packed snow, firm enough to roll on, soft enough to keep things interesting. February in Missoula doesn’t give you a lot of daylight to work with, so these evening escapes have become the whole journal lately. Just me, the cold, and whatever the mountain decides to serve up.
Turns out the mountain had a sense of humor. Not even an hour after rolling past the emergency vehicles, I was bombing a snowy descent when my front wheel started drifting. I caught it, overcorrected, and the next thing I know I’m launched off the side of the trail like a human trebuchet. Hung up in brush and branches on the edge of a drainage, not going anywhere, not able to get up. Fifteen minutes of dangling there, solo, thinking about how tree wells claim skiers and how nobody was coming to fish me out of this one. The irony of those flashing lights in the parking lot was not lost on me.
But I got free. Kept going. The snow got deep and the climbing got stupid, but eventually I hit the junction on Zephyr and everything opened up. That’s when the ride turned into the ride. Yelling yahoo into the dark, grinning so wide my face hurt, headlight slicing through the trees like a blade. Just absolute ripping.
I rolled back to the truck covered in snow, breathing hard, still smiling. Some nights the mountain tries to break you and reward you in the same hour. The ambulance was gone by then. I stood there alone in the quiet lot and realized the best part of almost getting wrecked is that it makes the rest of the ride feel stolen, like something you got away with that you’ll carry for days.
On This Day
February 18 has shown up 14 times since 2001. A day that apparently oscillates between outdoor adventures and indoor overthinking... mountain biking, Montana trips, procrastination.
2001: I Can Only Do So Much – Ugh, this weekend felt like homework swallowed me whole. Like, seriously, it was more intense than trying to learn the TikTok dances my niece keeps showing me. (Let’s be honest, those things are...
2002: Single Track is Calling – History reimagined: Pixels paint the past anew.Man, that weekend was pure mountain magic! Legs still achin’ happily, but today’s all about rest and recharge. Gotta map out phase two of my base...
2002: Brookfield Park MTB Tonight – DALL-E Image Added in 2024 for visula reasons.What a nice day this morning. It is a good day for a mountain bike ride. When work is over I will see you all out on the trails. I think tonight will be...
2006: New Photos In Photo Oasis – Just posted new pics on Photo Oasis, capturing my New Year’s at Aunt Paula’s in Lambert, Montana. The place’s vastness brings a unique mix of freedom and solitude. Despite the freezing temps, the...
2006: Trip Across Montana Picture Posted – It’s super cold out. So, I’m indoors, catching up on uploading pics from my Montana trip early this year.
2008: Let Levi Ride – Levi Leipheimer, a former professional cyclist from Butte, Montana, faced challenges during his career including Team Astana’s 2008 disqualification from the Tour de France.
2008: First Road Ride of the Season – A Previous Thompson Pass Road RideYo, picture this: Ross and I, armed with bikes and the unshakeable delusion that today would be EPIC (read: conquer-all-the-hills, wind-in-our-hair, picture-perfect...
2012: Togwotee training – In two weeks we will be in our first snow bike race somewhere near Togwotee Pass and today was good training. We “tried” my urban loop which comprises mostly green space fitness paths. In the winter...
2015: Garnet Ghost Town – Last weekend we drove to Drummond Montana and rolled fatties in a ghost town.
2016: Trails Traveled – When I don’t have anything new or recovering from injury. I look to the past. What was I doing today? In 2010 I was hiking with the Missoula TNR group. 2012 Mo and I rolled fatties in Bozeman. 2013 I...
2022: East Virgin River Canyon – 2016: Trails Traveled
2023: Logs on beach – A log at Cape Lookout OregonI love the contours around the rocks in the sand from the waterON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEB 18:2022: East Virgin River Canyon
2024: Pro at Casting in the Towel – Ah, procrastination: the art of turning “to-do” into “maybe tomorrow.” I’ve been there, eventually getting the T-shirt. Let’s explore procrastination with Timothy Pychyl’s insights, because facing...
2025: Navigating Social Media as an Autistic Adult – My Decision (And How You Can Decide Too)