Oh the sweetness of a long descent...for you mountain bikers, I know that you know...what it is I refer to. For the rest of you, I wish you did. See, I got me a new pair of suspension forks for my offroad ride. With the help of Steven Glover, family and work at Hood River WaterPlay.

After 2 weeks of my bike just sittin next to my front door, softly whimpering at me as I go in and out...like a neglected retriever, grounded for bad behavior, I alasss free it from it's leash. I mean I had a new fork mounted on her, rendering machine in fully functional condition. That was at 4 pm yesterday, paid for and out the door. At just about 6 pm, I was turning right off of Warren Lake trail onto what the crude, faded wood sign was calling Mitchel Point, Starvation Creek trail. I hoped that meant I could get to both, seeing the latter didn't hook up to the Post Canyon trail maze but the former did.

I was doing this trail for the first time, it was 6 pm. I had all I needed to spend the night if need be, stuffed in my little camelbak. I was ecstatic. Wondered what lay ahead. I will say this: glad I had new brakes and new plush suspension. Seat slammed and butt hanging way off the back of my seat, every bit of steep-technical-descent ability I could muster was put to the test. Switch backs were so steep and tight that after falling off the edge of the trail three times right at the turn...barely able to stop my momentum, I was forced to virtually dismount at every turn. Sections were so steep and rocky, there was no riding. It was really tedious, not fun but offered vistas that tied for first place in my collection. I snapped away with my grainy cell phone, doing the overlap-left to right panorama photos at every one. As I neared hwy 84 right above Starvation Cr. parking, my top-of-the-line, latest-greatest 3 year old dinosaur phone informed me that none of the photos I just took loaded into my photo album. I don't know where they are presently. So if you see em, let me know. This gives me the perfect reason to do this again. Just for the photos and to have a shuttle pick me and whomever I bring, up at Starvation Creek. No riding the railroad track and highway back 6 miles to Hood River. My head is still vibrating.