aw, snowtulip! thank you!

Now I'm all teary eyed for the caring you've shown me!!

Today was rainstorm, sun, rainstorm, sun, so I went to kickboxing and I hit and kicked hard and my body feels so good!

But I had to check this thread and see what else my ladies had to say....and it turns out that my head and heart are still somewhat sad.

I have to say, the last few trail rides I have been on were with one other girl, not a group. I loved that. Very free. I still stopped and fixed some lines here and there. I still chatted about how climbers have the right of way on a trail. I only saw a couple of things that shouldn't have been done, and they weren't that bad. The rides were fun and I was far away from the bull****. I want all of our rides to be like that!

Unfortunately, DH has had the opposite experience on his last 2 trail rides. He's gone with the wednesday group, the riders who supposedly have the same values and riding style, and on one ride, they were actually *helping* that club "president" move wood into the woods to build stunts. DH didn't want to be involved and did an extra loop of riding while they all did that. Not long after the first 3 riders, DH among them, got separated from the rest of the group as no-one said they were going to take a turn. He ended up riding by himself and when he got to the bar for after ride drinks, a couple of the other riders were shmoozing with one of the shuttle operators (who doesn't even have liability insurance!!). She's the one that shuttles them up so they can ride down a climb! So, DH just left. I was heartened when our buddy that has the other LBS also thought it was a bad ride, but that didn't seem to help enough.

Sadly, joining the club is likely not a very helpful option. Everyone in town knows our opinions and does not think we should be involved. On both sides. And so far, each person from our group that has joined we've tried to encourage and tried to be supportive of has either seen what the club is actually doing and then backed away, or has stayed in the group but won't even encourage them to try things another way.....let alone tell them when they're heading down the wrong path.

We're just not a big enough community for us to have any kind of anonymity.

Road riding is starting to seem like a very attractive option. And riding on the road still scares the willies out of me! There's something wonderful and comforting about being in the woods in the dirt and the rocks and the trees! I just love to be there. The road is kind of okay when there isn't traffic, but the logging trucks have started hauling on my favourite route, so I need to find out if the scales are open at any given time to ensure I feel safe out there.

Yup, it's all complicated.

Thank you for your encouragement. I'm humbled.

Especially seeing the adds for Live 8. Man, that Bob Geldof is a saint. They have done an amazing job with their ads! I hope the concerts all go without a hitch and that they can actually have an impact on the world "leaders"....

oh.....I think it's time to have a glass of wine and chill....

Namaste, everyone!

~T~