Fall riding is a favorite of mine. I just love chasing down the perfect day. You know the one: It is the day when the temperature is just right, their is a nice breeze in the air, the trees are chock full of color, and you are on your mountain bike on a great trail somewhere. That day can be hard to chase down, but that's where I found myself recently.

Fall color and trail riding go hand in hand.It isn't easy to find that day. The day when the leaves are just right and you can ride. Sometimes the weather just ruins the chances before they happen. But when you do get out on the perfect Fall day, it's like gold.

Here in the Mid-West we get few chances at the perfect Fall day, and it becomes a sort of quest with me every year. I haven't scored this big in years.

The trees were at their height of color display with the maximum amount of leaves still up. A nice coating on the slightly wet, tacky earth was there, to be sure, so being careful in the corners was important. The air was warm enough for just a long sleeve jersey and knickers too, so no bundling up. Just a nice day to be out on the bike.

The light this time of year only adds to the effect. The sun is lower in the sky, not as direct, and this makes the light filter through the colors of the leaves and gives off a surreal glow in the woods you just don't experience at any other time of year. The fact that at any moment the weather could change and all these leaves could come tumbling down only makes it more special.

So this is more than just another trail ride for me. It is a quest to ride in the elusive halls of gold that only come in Fall.  It offers an adventure that I look forward to every year at this time.

While some years I come up empty handed, or others are merely so-so, the promise of a ride like the one I had just recently keep me searching. When it all comes together, it's almost a magical experience.

I was blessed this time to hit the jackpot of gold, but that isn't enough.

I'll be back searching again next year. You can count on that!