This past weekend, I was pedaling up a trail near Hood River Oregon thinking to myself how awesome the trails were. The dirt was good, real good. While cresting the top of a climb, I pulled next to a guy getting ready to head down one of my favorites. We began chatting and asking where each other was from. I told him I really enjoyed the trails in Hood River. He looked at me smiling and said “the grass is always greener”, and for some reason that stuck with me throughout the ride.
I have been known to be a little bit of a trail snob, and catch myself growing bored on certain trails if I ride them too much. Diversity is what I love. There are many great trails in places that rarely if ever get talked about or mentioned in magazines “Best places to ride”. Trail development across the country seems to be spreading at a crazy rate right now. Being the nomads we are, finding awesome trails is getting easier than ever.
Mixing things up on different trails, with different riders and taking the time to smell the roses are a few things that help me keep the stoke high. They are only a part of the equation though. My mood, choice to have a good time and have positive interactions with other trail users have the biggest impact on my ride enjoyment.
This encounter with a stranger struck a note with me. I’m now going into a few months of “work” travel charged to explore emerging trail systems, meet new faces and enjoy trails no matter where I am. Luckily for us, good times on the mountain bike can be had almost anywhere that we can find the brown pow with good company and a positive attitude.
