My wife and I love going to Boone, NC for long weekends of running, riding, and relaxing which we’ve done for years.
It’s at least 10 degrees cooler after you make the ascent from Wilkesboro on 421.
Time and time again we’ve made the trek up that climb.
Last year it dawned on me – if I find a decent route, Joan could drop me off in Wilkesboro and I could ride my bike the rest of the way – up the mountain – and meet her in Boone.
I asked my cycling friends if they knew of such a route and Fred responded with one that he heard was good, but had never actually ridden.
I studied the route closely – there were sections of gravel – but it looked like it would work.
Although I had never been on those back roads before – and didn’t know anyone who had – I decided to take a shot.
I double-checked the route, then I loaded it onto my cycling computer.
Joan dropped me off at Kerr Scott Lake in Wilkesboro and I started my point-to-point ride.
It starts on a country road dotted with churches that had signs out front with slogans that you can’t decide if they hit the mark exactly or miss it entirely. (e.g. one read: “If you think it’s hot now, hell is a lot hotter!”)
The directions were low-stress – I could simply glance down at my computer and see how far until the next turn.
The ride was brutal (in a good way!) ending with a monster climb in the last 5 miles.
I met Joan in Boone and our vacation weekend began.
Here’s the thing – the first time I did this ride there was significant risk.
It was point-to-point and I had never done the route and knew nobody who had – if the directions were wrong or some part of it was unpassable or if I got lost, I would have been screwed.
Because I had a computer that could do turn-by-turn directions and planned the route thoroughly ahead of time, I could enjoy reading all those church signs along the way.
Your trading is no different.
Are there tools YOU can use to make your trading smoother and less stressful?
It might make sense to pinch pennies in other areas of your life, but not trading.
