What does a girl do when she's sick and it's raining?

Go mountain biking, of course.

For the past couple days I've had my hands on a 2009 Gary Fisher Superfly. It's carbon. It's got 29" wheels. And I'm pretty much in love. Unfortunately, I've also been sick with a cold, and it's been raining just about nonstop since Thursday morning. We're also in the midst of fall, which means the trails are carpeted in red, orange, and yellow foliage. This has brought me to the following conclusions:

1. I don't dislike mountain biking in the rain nearly as much as I dislike road riding in the rain.
2. In fact, I barely even notice the rain offroad.
3. A combination of mountain biking and tomato soup may not cure a cold, but it makes it a lot more bearable.
4. Wet leaves on top of gooey mud makes for a slick surface.
5. Very slick.
6. Fall colors are pretty much the best thing ever.

It's been a while—since my now-famous side injury—since I've hit the dirt instead of the pavement. In that time, I've lost about 15 pounds and gained a lot of muscle. And I've gotten a lot faster. (Well, "lot" being subjective in my case.) On my road bike, I've been averaging 17-19 mph. I could really feel a difference on the trail—I won't attribute the extra speed entirely to myself, I know the carbon 29er made a pretty big difference too. Those factors combined, and it makes for one of my best rides ever.

The bike. Gorgeous, right?

Aptly named the yellow trail

More beautiful fall colors

One thing I know now for sure: mountain biking, Iron and Wine on repeat, and the steady rhythm of rain takes me to my zen place.