wanted: high meteorological gradient as a function of geographic location

Fall is some of the best time for mountain biking, but the cold weather inevitably makes me wish it was already snowing. In two weeks I'll be heading up to the family cabin, we'll take the dock out, winterize a few things, and take the last pass of the year on the trails.

We're fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of land that doesn't even require raking. The only additional hazard to mountain biking through untended old growth forests is burying your front tire in a hole filled with soft needles. Once you get an eye for spotting them, the door is pretty much wide open.

Back near the cabin, the trail is a bit better tended, and it wraps around the trees all the way up to the driveway. Last summer we used a chainsaw to rip a 12' x 14" pine log, and raised it up a few feet as a log ride.