Stuart: Snaking Paths

I had my first major wipe out today while riding the snaking gravel paths of Waterfall Glen. Took a turn too fast. It was wonderful.

Also, I rode over a black and yellow snake and learned some lessons. It was slightly terrifying. I thought it was a stick, and the path was full of sticks, so I thought I'd just ride over it like normal, until I saw its true colors with about a foot before contact. I screamed loudly in fear that it would leap up and attach itself to my ankle that was so firmly clipped into the pedal. My adrenaline kicked in and I sped over it and felt the snake twice (front tire, back tire), cringing in fear of the attack. The adrenaline boost kept me riding pretty fast for about thirty seconds, after which I fully realized what happened and how little danger I actually was in. The poor snake probably got a little hurt, even though when I looked back, it didn't look bent out of shape. I learned a few lessons:
1. Don't ride over things that you think are sticks. Even if they are sticks, it isn't that fun, and if they aren't, its just scary.
2. If I am ever riding too slowly, all I have to do is find a way to fear for my life in order to speed up.
3. I would be perfectly willing to suck the blood and venom out of one of my friends' wounds if they got bitten. We would be blood brothers like the little boy and the Indian from the book "The Indian in the Cupboard" only more romantic, and not involve both partys' blood, or Indians.

Stuart