Reason to be.

I love this photo. As my young friend, Luis Tonkovich, bounds up a trail on Santa Barbara Island, he looks undeniably happy. His course, although on a trail, seems only defined by pure joy. He's not running to anything except blue sky, the ocean and a better vista. Although this photo lacks any evidence of mountain bike activity, it seems to define the central theme of my blog and my core reason for writing about my outdoor experiences. Like Luis, I relish moments of pure joy when the wind is my face, the trail lies ahead and my only motivation is to keep moving. These are the moments when the weight of the world and thoughts of my own mortality seem to disappear into the ether. Perhaps they are the only moments worth living for.