We spun through a field of shoulder high plants whose yellow flowers reached to the heavens in prayer like grace.  As we peddled through the deepness of the forest, home of locust and crickets, they sent us their symphonic harmonies on the wind and it filled our minds and spirits with joy and happiness. The light from the golden orb – the giver of all life- raced through the firmament towards us. We witnessed the canopy filter it’s golden rays as it streamed through the humid dense air that took our breath away. It then bathed the forest floor in a display of mathematical formulas and impressionist paintings that no human could reproduce.

I heard the squelch of a raptor, a hawk as it sailed by on the wind – he allowed us to pass and to explore his domain. An eagle dived into the waters of life and there he found his dinner.  He sailed away to the horizon and there he found another. A beautiful fawn watched us come and go from the protection of the omnificent trees that covered this sacred land and the trees allowed us to pass in silence. I found a turtle slogging it through the ground cover

on his way to the labyrinth of time immortal as well as a snake sent to us from the deepness of the underground

A fox, like a ghost shape dancer, disappeared into the depths of the forest.

His reflective eyes followed us from the safety of the hidden nooks that he called his home.

The sounds of human life left us – thank God- for the sounds of silence in this world are beautiful. Men – we had a great day, we were invisible and God allowed us to have visions of ecstasy and infinity today – wow

 

2) Old Man Winter:  Old man winter was in full force it was very cold, in the teens, and all was still in the frozen silence.  We left on our steel steeds in the early morn before the sun had raised its tired eye and were pulled towards the old growth forest out my back door.  The sky above was gray, it was cold and the wind was sharp.   It was so sharp that it cut into our face like a sharpened knife; the frigid air pained our fingers and toes. Old man winter was not happy we were outside. We were taunting him, so he pounded us in his furry.  The winds sounded like a tornado or jet engine and those gusts bent the old growth forests to its core and blew the leaves into magical mathematical formulas of swirling maelstrom like patterns that went on for eternity. Large limbs and entire trees cascaded all around us and thundered onto the hard land of winter – death was easy to meet on this day

So onward to our mission we went.  Deep into the forest we traveled on our steel steeds.  Our wheels were spinning around on the tiny spindly trails that snaked their way to eternity.  We forever were attacking the hills, and on the downhill’s sparks flew from the wheels.

Finally, the sun raised its sleepy eye and we watched golden beams of light stream through the old growth forests and dance about of the forest floor. The sky opened up and life was restored.  We raced across the bridge of no return and viewed the magenta colored lake driven to furry by the wind.  The angry lake was filled with white-capped waves and they crashed upon the shoreline covered in rocks sending spray all around in a mighty and colorful display.  When mixed with the beautiful light from the omnipresent sun that showered us in its every lasting light, it was refracted through the spray into a dream like kaleidoscope of colors that entered our minds and bathed the hillsides. 

Geese took shelter in the many coves that were reflected the sky above like a prefect mirror.  These special coves allowed the geese and ducks to forage for food, unobstructed by the cold or wind. We watched and listened to the geese and ducks talk to one another and watch them dive for food. We saw an eagle pass over head.  IT was looking for its next meal and as it passed us by we looked at each other in the eyes and then it drifted to the horizon.  The cold and the wind continued to hound us – they both let us know we were alive and well!!!

The forest was also not happy we were out there and it set traps for us in the rather deep piles of leaves which hid those denizens of the deep (downed logs and branches and rocks) – they knocked us off our steel steeds a few times just to let us know they really owned the forest.  It was SCARY and dangerous also- the wind in the Meadow, 1 hour later a tree had fallen directly where we had been.  The Wind:  I saw you toss the kites on high and blow the birds about the sky, and all around I herd you pass, like ladies skirts across the grass, I saw the different things you did, but always you yourself you hid, I felt you push I heard you call but I could se yourself at all. (RLS)

We crushed the downhill’s  – its was awesome flying down those hills with sparks coming from the wheels while floating over the forest floor – like a ghost rider on horseback flying through the forest. 

Most things were hunkered down and we saw few animals except for the deer and squirrels they were fast asleep waiting for the sun to bring some warmth – 

We rode continually for 3 hours and we ended with the forest and old man winter all together

Another Winter story below

Old man winter beaconed us to come out and visit with his delivery of a fresh blanket of white snow.  So when everyone one was warm and cozy in their homes, we went out for an early morning mountain bike ride in the bitter cold.   The sky was leaden gray and heavy and the sun’s golden eye could not pierce the shroud.  The air was bitter and cut sharp on the exposed skin and our toes pained as we pushed the bikes forward.  The only sound was that of the tires crushing the snow that covered the hard land of winter.

We entered the living organism on a spindly dirt trail that was covered in a shroud of fresh snow.  It was so light that it swirled around like ghost dancers moving in and out of reality as we rode by.   We carefully rode the single tracks hopping the occasional logs, letting the bikes run down the hills and cranking it up the gnarly trails. It was so special, no one else entered our realm, just we and the forest and it consumed us.

All of the creatures were in a deep slumber, everything was locked in the frozen science, nothing moved, not a sound escaped and everything was muted.  The ancient sentinels  of the forest stood tall without movement at their posts as they had for hundreds of years, they had lost their canopy but their arms shrugged under the weight of their heavy limbs that were covered in the fresh white blanket.  They watched us pass under foot without saying a word.

We saw a rather large eagle silently glide through the gray firmament overhead. He disappeared into the grayness  across the icy waters. The lake was pewter gray, silent, and cold. Ice covered some of it and the shore line.  Even the normally playful, vocal and active canadian geese and the colorful drake mallards,  were all hunkered down.  They were silent, humble and huddled together as if frozen in time.

We passed some deer on the way to heartbreak hill and they were exceedingly silent as they slipped away into the depths of the forest. They wore their full winter coats now for the difficult winter siege that old man winter would through at them.  As we passed into a meadow, we saw a small herd of deer bedded down in the copper colored tall grasses under methuselah tree. The tree is unique and stands out as a multi-headed beast of the forest, we paid it our respects before heading onward.

After riding for about 1.5 hours, the Sun poked its tired eye through the leaden sky and with that everything came to life.  The shadows came to life and danced through and on the forest floor. The light streamed through the flakes of white powdered snow creating a kaleidoscopic array of colors.  The prism was blinding, it flowed directly into my brain and life was restored.  The animals were awakened and the birds sang melodious harmonies.   After the last stream crossing that was frozen, a rather large red fox guided us homeward on the spindly trail only to disappear into the depths of the forest.

So back in my home after a couple hours of riding,  I sat in front of a fire whose amber rays bathed my body in its warmth while it caressed my face with the softness of a lovers hand. The golden and orange rays streamed outward from the fireplace and illuminated the room in soft hues of light, it was narcotic like, and it lulled one into a dream like sleep.  My cat was snuggled in my lap and I was reading a soft bound leather book and listening to the soft sounds of Enya  and when the steel guitar and bass came together it was as though the angles and light of God surrounded me.  So at that special moment with this mot beautiful music playing, The book , the snow outside, the warmth of the glowing fire and the snuggling cat, I felt  all life was tied together in some beautiful way, like a thread that tied everything together that had a pulse and a meaning and I felt so lucky that I gave thanks  for all that I had.