To see rich land eaten away by erosion, to stand by as continual cultivation on sloping fields wears away the best soil, is enough to make a good farmer sick at heart.
The nature of the place. . . whether high or low, moist or dry, whether sloping north or south, or bearing tall trees or low shrubs. . . generally gives hint as to its inhabitants.
He put his foot on one pedal, scooted a few yards and swung his other leg over the saddle. He soared left into the vertiginously sloping hillside road and sped, without touching his brakes. . . The hedgerows and sky blurred; he imagined himself in a velodrome as the wind whipped his hair clean. . .