Two hours alone on this old country gravel road. The temperature was in the 60's and the air actually felt scrubbed clean. I rode up and down hills and saw some scenery that made me want to just keep on going until I hit Canada. The roadside farms were all quiet, hardly a bird flew by and the only people I had seen so far were a young woman in camo-wear and her young daughter, riding on a hunting 4 wheeler. The Mom waved her coffee mug and the young girl waved both arms in abandon, having the most possible fun on this picture perfect day. I felt a million miles away from the city and 'too many rats in a cage' feeling that we live with day to day. I was sure that anyone living here, did it on purpose in order to get away from all of that.
As I finally completed the gravel road loop of 6 miles, I pulled over, wondering if there was time to do it again, or just ride back on the side of the highway to our rented condo. I heard the first car of the day pulling up behind me and I turned to give a friendly hello as I took in the blacked-out windows, large rims and coffee-can muffler on the dark green sedan. As the Mitsubishi Eclipse wound his gears out going up the hill, my lip curled from a smile to a frown and I shook my fist in the air, fruitlessly yelling at the long gone sports car. "Damned Rice-burners! Is nothing sacred in this country!?"
