goatgirl
10-24-2007, 01:38 PM
With all the rain lately we have been cheated out of some really great local fall riding, but last night possibly made up for all the lost days. We arrived at Murphy parking lot at 4:55 and took off promptly at 5:00 because we knew we only had a little over an hour of riding time. What we didn't know was that it was the best part of the day. First I noticed the crisp fall air with a wicked wind whipping through the prairie section, but I knew that wind would not be a factor once we hit the forest. The forest trail was covered with a light blanket of red, yellow and orange fallen leaves crackling as the tires peeled their way up and down the hills. We often could see multiple sections of bridges because of the increased visibility without the leaves. It really made me realize how much work is involved with building a trail like this. As we made it to the big climb we stopped at the top the view was fantastic. The tree trunks painted with pink light of the setting sun bright yellow tree tops in the distance the shine of the water in the pond below the smell of oak leave in the air. Being in the forest this time of year is so exhilarating! When we broke out into the prairie section again we were again stopped in our tracks as we admired a perfect set of clouds painted as if by Maxfield Parrish himself, gold light against a bright blue sky. As we made our final climb out to the prairie again the colors were changing to purples and reds. Why I ask would anyone want to ride anyplace else? My only regret was the lack of a camera. I might have to go again tonight, but I found some Maxfield Parrish pictures that will give you an idea of what we saw last night.