:: God's Country ::

:: when i was a little plump chump, i'd often be riding quietly in the back seat on sunday drives when pop would remark 'ah, this is God's Country!'. just as youngsters dismiss the wisdom of their elders, i'd dismiss his remark feeling the present sights of trees and shrubs weren't nearly as majestic as other wonders of the world as i'd seen on tv or in picture books. when college time came, i found myself smack-dab in an urban setting - not once did i ever hear pop say 'ah, this is God's Country!', even though i thought things were pretty fantastic in the big city. a few years later i started making the trek back and forth from home to urbania by way of 'God's Country'. it took a few trips before i started to enjoy the sights, and it wasn't until i had the choice of where to relocate after college that it hit me how majestic tree-covered gently rolling hills can be. as another relocation looms, i'm facing these feelings again: am i willing to sacrifice the utopia i find cycling or running through a patch of woods for vocational reasons? ::

:: when i heard the 'God's Country' marathon mountain bike race had been revitalized, it naturally was something i had to try. although marathon xc isn't my forte, it would be good training for ridestrong regardless of the outcome. i mentioned it to pop on the phone, and he said 'it's going to be tough. you'll be riding in 'God's Country'!' well, long story short, he was right but much to my surprise i managed a top 10 placing in the open class, with a ride time of 5:18 for ~53 miles. perhaps the best part of the day though came from the critter sightings on the way up - 9 deer, 25 turkeys, 3 red squirrels, 2 chipmunks, and 1 baby black bear. equally impressive were a few vistas from the top of climbs. and at one point i even found myself muttering 'ah, this is God's Country.' thanks pop, for instilling wisdom and appreciation of something so beautiful::