Snow, Mud, and Redemption
The Tent Didn’t Make It
A couple of weeks ago we made our first trip of the season to Legacy Bike Park, which, if you know us, means we immediately tempted fate. I texted our friend Constantine the day before with a fair warning: rain and snow were likely, and expectations should be low. He wisely stayed home.
The drive out took forever. Major construction on the route made it longer than the trip to Kellogg, which is saying something. But we arrived to beautiful scenery, a genuinely stunning sunset framed through the pines. The view that makes you forget the tent collapsed. Not a bad start.
The next day I had a pedal pass and things were going well until the rain arrived and reminded us who was in charge. We burned through all our shower water cleaning the bikes, went to bed, and woke up to snow. The tent had collapsed. We, fortunately, were in the van, warm and caffeinated, quietly accepting that Sunday was a write-off. We had planned to leave but I had a root canal Monday morning, so we stayed another night like two people with absolutely no good options.
Then Sunday afternoon happened. Clouds parted, sun came out, trails started to dry. We caught the shuttle and got a couple of laps in. After everything, it felt like an actual victory.
Legacy has a way of teaching the same lesson repeatedly until it sticks: buy shuttle tickets last minute if the weather cooperates, lean on a pedal pass if it doesn’t, and never, ever fully trust a forecast. We keep learning this. We keep forgetting it.
The laps were worth it. Despite the soggy, snow-dusted, and tent-flattening conditions, there was just enough fun to make the weekend feel less like a mistake and more like the inevitable cost of being out there. I think.
May 30th, Plans Optional
May 30th has a long, storied history of consistently rewriting our plans, from the uncertainty of waiting on a credit check in Connecticut to hammock naps, desert memories, and mule train drama. Then Sluice Box State Park showed up in 2015 and reminded me that some places just earn a slow walk. No bikes needed, which is almost something I never say. Whether it’s a trip taking an unexpected turn, the plan is always just where the story begins.
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