Night Ride - When it rains, it pours. There will be blood in the water. Cold to the core. Faith blows hard on our shoulders.

Captain's Log: The streets are mostly dry, PSI up to 90 and off we go. Lots of fog in the valleys, but no traffic, so not concerned. It seems to be getting colder every night and I dread going out but am always happy once I'm there, no matter the weather. I'm glad that tonight I can be less "cautious" about traction. With a thousand things to worry about, 999 makes a difference. It's funny. It used to be such an excursion for me to go out there. Get this ready and that ready, like a field trip. Now just 15 minutes to check everything is in order and off I go, as if I were going down to the park for a couple of laps. My two spares and a backup light are the only hint that I'm going out for a while and perhaps a little far. When I'm out there and see how far Jerusalem's lights are I realize that I forget how much I've taken for granted. For granted that 50 km is a short ride. For granted that 1500m elevation gain is moderate. For granted that one can do this like a walk in the park. When I meet a friend for coffee, I walk or take the bus. I don't ride my bike. My bike is my weapon and not for trivial commuting. A sickening snobbery on my part, perhaps. This logic makes sense to me, but then again climbing mountains every night at 2 AM does too. As I end my last hard climb up to Jerusalem, I stop to gaze at my city a sleep. Lost in myself I hadn't noticed that I had stopped right by a sleeping pack of wild dogs and that they had been growling at me, offended by my unwelcome intrusion. Does the great oak tree care that the wild boar scratches its back on it? Does the lion care that the hyena growls at it? I ignore their idle threats. If you're going to bite, then bite. And one by one disappears into the darkness. The pack leader makes his last stand with a volley of growls and is visibly offended by how little of a shit I give before he too disappears into the darkness. You might not be King of the Mountain every night, but you better act like it if you want conquer Jerusalem's nights. + Story at http://storyteller.fit/story/1429