The Remains of the Day

The boys and I decide to celebrate Paul's birthday with a night ride at St. Edward State Park. Traffic is awful and we make a late start.

We quickly realize that the trails at St. Ed's have been replaced by waterways. Water is everywhere. There is standing water on the trails. There is running water on the trails. The rain is relentless as it falls through the canopy.

"Hey, how muddy do you think that big whoop-de-do is gonna be?" Paul asks. Without stopping he plunges into the dark ravine. Not so bad, it turns out. We make it out alive.

Later on, as Mark stops to fix a loose handlebar, Paul strides off to return some of the water he's acquired. He strides back. "Not to get all Cheech and Chong on you, but have you ever turned your headlamp straight up to look at the rain coming down? It's fucking awesome!"

You know what? It is fucking awesome.