A few years ago I was mowing the lawn on a Sunday afternoon. There was a fierce wind howling out of the west-southwest. I was jonesing to ride, bad, but not looking forward to fighting that wind. As I mowed, a plan formed in my mind.

After I put up the mower, I struck a deal with a friend. Pick me up in Big Rock (a town fifty miles away to the east-northeast) in an hour and a half and I will buy you dinner on the way back. I beat my return ride to Big Rock by a good fifteen minutes, and I had stopped en route to eat a power bar and read an historical marker.

Tailwinds rock. Headwinds, however...

uh...

well...

Headwinds blow!