Over the Bars

So, last night, with the telephone network operating properly, I escaped from the office by 5:30 and was on the trails by 6:00, lights ready, battery charged and looking for a good 2 hour ride. I worked my way up to the high point on trail 1A and headed east after a stop to look at the evening view. As I was picking my way through a rocky spot, I got a little too far forward on the bike and allowed the front wheel to land in one of those nicely formed spots that pretty closely match the circumference of the wheel. Naturally, the wheel stopped just as the laws of physics intended. The rest of the and I attempted to continue on. Since the front wheel was still attached to the rest of the bike, the rear wheel chose the path of least resistance, which of course was up and over the front wheel. That decision by the rear wheel left me with only 1 decision, how to make contact with the surrounding terrain in a manner that would allow me to get back up somewhat intact. Fortunately for me, the tumble didn't damage any of the local flora, nor did the local flora have the opportunity to damage me. The bike remained intact. The only damage was to a bracket that holds the headlight to the handlebars. The light still works, but without a way to hold the light in place, it was time to head home. The two hour ride turned out to be about 50 minutes. Now the trick is finding a new bracket for the light, although I am pretty good with a roll of duct tape.