the ride home last night was everything i wanted it to be, great trails and the snow just made everything a bit quieter than mid-summer. i was able to roll most sections and the hike-a-bike was just a fun walk. the woods were super quiet, no animal tracks just a single mtb spoiling the new snow. i only came off once when i tried to ride a little balance beam see-saw thing and somebody had shifted the boards so they weren't even, a little tumble but not really a ground fall. then rolling through a nice slightly downhill wooded meadow area i see an orange flash off to my right, as i stopped to look over it's a hunter with a big gun! i was a little freaked out and before i really even thought about it i yelled " hey, biker over here!" the guy just kind of looked over and looked away, clearly not caring about who else was in the woods with him that wasn't good eatin'. i watched him walk up the hill away from me i was happy to have my little cateye on flash mode to make sure i didn't come out the way greg lemond did on his fateful hunting trip. after that it was a more hurried pace to get the hell away from elmer fudd. the long climb up and out of the valley on gold run was pretty dark, i kept a good pace and turned on the light full throttle and then up and over and ripped the descent into the hood, not even a dab. today on the way in we had about 3 inches on unplowed roads, it was wonderful! perfect opening day for the ski area, can you beat 3-5 inches on the first day of the season? cruising on the roads and paths was the coolest thing, super quiet, i don't understand my fascination with quiet, i guess in a world that is so loud it's a welcome change to have it not be. i miss having music but in the woods i just want to listen to what's going on around me. as i was rolling over the path i saw a medium sized dog running toward me, and then he turned and his profile suddenly showed me he was a fox not a dog! a big, well fed and ready for bed fox. he looked at me and ran the opposite the way, the way i was headed, over the path bridge and up into the brush, i apologized for pissing him off and went on my way. i love the world at 5.30 am! fresh snow on the unplowed/untrodden roads/trails, and animals everywhere if you get lucky enough to look in the right places.