Fun & Fitness over 50

Actually I only have 2 rides in my history that I would classify as "death rides" and though they had value for me, I hope I never have any others. You know, one of those experiences where "I'm glad I went through it but I hope to never go through it again!"
Death ride is a little bit of hyperbole on my part. I certainly wasn't in danger of dying but it was a singularly unpleasant experience. When asked how the ride was I like to use the euphemism educational!
I had just started riding seriously last spring and was eager for some comraderie. Most of my friends were too busy with family concerns, household duties, kids and the like, to ride with me on any regular basis (honestly where are their priorities!?) I had done a beginners group ride at a mountain bike festival in August and that was ok. It was a bit of workout for me on the hills but manageable. Not a death ride by any means. I was riding my Ross, rigid, heavy steel "mountain" bike, pictured here:

The ride leaders wondered if I was going to be alright with the rigid suspension on some of the rough downhills but I was used to it. Just kept my arms and legs loose to absorb the shock and I did fine. Maybe couldn't go as fast as the others but I cleaned it. I did get my heart rate up there a bit on the climbs but I seemed to recover quickly so I wasn't too worried about it. One of the leaders complimented me on my climbing ability. I'm tenacious, if anything!
So a few weeks later I saw an "easy" ride advertised by the local MTB club and I jumped on the opportunity.
Among other things, I learned 2 facts from this:
1. When it says "easy" you must ask "easy for whom"