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Good Air

From the parking lot at the entrance of the San Joaquin River Trail to the first shady corner, my lungs bloom into flowers of fire. In a wild effort to rush life into burning limbs, my lungs gasp for a deep breath of high quality air stuff – mostly nitrogen and oxygen delivered via lungs to heart to blood stream to muscles to braun that powers me up that first climb up and out of Fresno and into mountain biking heaven. My favorite part of this ride, besides going down of course, is a huge fig tree near the bottom of the descent that covers the trail with shade and a sweet figgy aroma. I always stop and take a deep breath of that delicious nectary perfume before moving on. But, there is a smell that is not so sweet that is lingering in our Fresno air and that is filthy combination of particulates, ozone, and other nasty stuff. As avid and recreational cyclists and as caretakers and advocates for our local trails, we know how good it feels to get away from the Fresno smog and take a breath of fresh air. We all want to breathe better, so here are some things that we can do to help us make every breath a fresh air here in Fres-yes.