See no evil, fear no evil, fall through no bridges

Dearest David,

Cookies, eh? Well, this opens up a whole new realm of challenges: doing things for the other person. I'll make you those cookies, and you're gonna enjoy them. One thing you won't enjoy, however, is YOUR challenge. Thank you for going easy on me this time. When you're through with this feat, I think we'll be pretty much even.

I fear feet. You, my David, fear heights. Today I went biking into Massachusetts. The trails in Southwick are all nice and paved, but when you hit Westfield, they become dirt and stone. And then, and then, you come to an old bridge, where the railroad used to cross the river. This piece of the trail still has the old railroad ties and crosspieces on it, and has yet to be renovated, much like the East Granby bridge before they trails committee completely re-did it and paved it and put fences up and stuff. To get over the bridge, you have to walk along the wooden tracks, and guide your bike over every thick crosspiece. Yes, there are a couple places where the wooden crosspieces are missing, but stepping over them is no difficult matter, and it's simple to guide your bike along the smooth iron ties along the edges of the bridge. After the bridge, the trail is gravel, but I haven't gotten to ride that part yet. I hear it becomes paved further on. I'd like to explore that far someday.

One day in the next two weeks (I'm thinking two Mondays from now) you have to come with me to either Phelps or further into Southwick where we will park and bike the trails into Westfield. The meat of your challenge is to cross the bridge. And I will be videotaping your great achievement for posterity, because I anticipate that this will be a big victory for you. I would like to get our bikes across and continue exploring down the trail, but if crossing the bridge is too harrowing a challenge in itself, I will refrain from requiring fulfillment of the full extent of this challenge, and crossing the bridge bikeless will have to suffice.

Although you do, of course, have the option to refuse a challenge and back down like a pansy, let me warn you that in the case of your rejection of this challenge, I still retain the right to challenge you. And you can rest assured that I will find a challenge that, although different in its nature, will definitely be more difficult than the bridge challenge.

All my love,
~The Princess~