J999w wrote:

Prettiest view in the world of XC?

How about from the top of the podium?

Maybe someday. If the right people don't show up, eh Jay? : )

Regarding the 19thC writer, how about Thoreau, who said he "traveled
widely in Concord." : )

I'm someone who's very tempted by 'grass is greener'-itis and have
followed it globally for decades...so the past few years I've worked
hard on screwing my eyes into good enough focus to see that here is
cool, too.

....The minimalls, pavement, pro-sports-fans, TVheads and salesmen don't
make it very easy, though.

....Neither does the frickin lack of hills and decent water.

It takes a lot of squinting to see the beauty in a drainage ditch. But I
did it growing up and am doing it now. A friend wrote a GREAT essay
called "Paddling the Ditches of Meridian Township" on my OYB site years
back. It's still there. I'm not the only one stuck in this boat. But I
do feel weird about forcing my kids to be exposed to it. So we bought
that little lot up in Idlewild. We'll see how that plays out. Next week
I plan to take the nippers down to the local muddy trickle to see if we
can find some crayfish. No trout, but crayfish can be heaven to a kid.

--

Jeff Potter
****
*Out Your Backdoor * http://www.outyourbackdoor.com
publisher of do-it-yourself culture ... bikes, skis, boats & more! ...

... with radically relevant novels from the ULA &
LiteraryRevolution.com! ...
... free music! ... tons o' articles! ... travel forums! ... WOW!
800-763-6923