Tough at Mohican

Sunny and nearly 60 degrees.  The weather was nice but will the trail be dry?  I headed to Mohican to find out.

Plenty of brown leaves on the ground.

In the first 5 miles there were a couple wet puddles to be found but it was overall pretty good.  The woods felt more like fall than spring.  Lots of brown and not much green.

Spring has not yet sprung.

There were a few other cars in the parking lot with bike racks but the only people I encountered on the trail were runners.  Arriving at the covered bridge there were lots of parked cars and people hiking about.  It was a nice afternoon to be outside.

As I started up the Mt. Doom climb I realized it was going to be a challenge on the single speed.  Seems I should have packed some food to go with my water.  I kept it going the whole way but had some slow speed, low cadence pedal grinding along the way.  I was glad to make it around all the switchbacks without stalling.

Trailhead B.

At the second trail head I reached the closed section of trail and rode out to SR97.  I probably would have been wise to take the road back to the parking lot and been satisfied for the day, but I turned up the park road and got back on the trail at mile 19.

Good thing for glasses or this would've

been a direct pupil shot of mud!

The next four miles were tough.  I was pretty worn down and without energy; I might even call it a mini bonk.  Why didn't I bring food?  Not sure.  Oh well, it was still a good roll through the woods.  The rigid singlespeed mostly kicked my butt.  I was probably not riding very efficient either, as my handling skills seemed to be absent today.  I limited the damage and arrived back to the car glad for the ride!

Worn out legs!

Breaking Trail to Close 2013

It's the final day of the year, and I really want to go for one last 2013 ride.  The weather is not cooperating.  It's 20 degrees, 20mph wind, snowy, and a "feels like" of 6.

I pile on my warmest layers, adding an extra upper layer and a balaclava.  Wow, I haven't busted out the full face coverage in a while.  At the least I'm going to Mohican for a short loop.

Loaded up.

It's cold in the parking lot as I pull down my bike and put on overboats.  I really should have gotten fully dressed at home instead of in the parking lot.  I'm cold as I jump on the bike and start to pedal.  The first mile should warm me up.

There were no other cars in the parking lot and I'm making the only set of tracks on the snow covered trail.  By mile 1 my core is warm and by mile 2 my hands and feet are too.  Hey, this is fun!  The snow is providing some excellent traction.

Making tracks.

The wind is not as cutting in the woods.  I enjoy the sound of snow crunching under my tires.  Several miles in I look up and swear I see a rider pass.  Weird, how is someone ahead of me?  Maybe he's off trail?  There's no other tracks out here.  Snow mirage?

No problems staying warm.  My glasses are fogging from time to time and I pull the face mask under my chin.  The air is cold to breathe.  It feels better with the mask over my mouth.

I stop to take a picture and hear a rider coming behind me.  I figure out he was the mirage and was behind me on a twisty section of trail when I saw him earlier.  He complains of cold feet as I invite him to ride ahead as I take a picture.

Rare sun on this ride.

About six miles in I turn 180 to back track.  The trail is new on the way back.  I enjoy seeing our tracks in the snow and monitor how often the other guy took a different line than me, not often.  I'm also amused by how often I take a different line in the reverse direction, sometimes.

I pass another rider on the way back.  He is in better spirits and having fun.  Maybe it's the Stairway to Heaven blasting from his Camelbak.  I do not understand why someone wants to ride in the woods and blare music.  I like the sounds of the outside.  I can listen to music anywhere but only the outside... outside.

Almost back to the car.

A truck is pulling into the parking lot as I ride in.  It's some Soupcan guys.  We chat for a bit as they get dressed, in the warm truck, and I get cold standing.  I rack my bike and hop in the front seat to drink some hot coffee I packed in the Coleman thermos.  Oh how good it tastes.  Two steamy cups chase a Pro bar that Santa put in my stocking.  

I'm glad I came down for a ride despite the weather. It's a nice end to 2013!

Mohican Deer

Came around a corner in the first mile and was face to face

with a deer.  I actually had to yell "move!" before it

walked off the trail and stopped to look at me.

Found some nice fungus.

Hyperwarm in a Blizzard

Lately I've been tempted to buy some new cold weather clothing.  Perhaps something with the word "thermo" in the name of it, like a ThermoShield jacket or ThermoTec bib tights.  This morning KT and I had a chance to get out without the kids, thanks Grandma and Grandpa, so amongst other stops we visited a sporting goods store.  After trying on no less than six shirts I settled on a Nike Pro Combat Compression Hyperwarm shirt.  I figured "hyperwarm" was at least equivalent if not superior to "thermo".

Pro Combat?  Who comes up with this stuff?

Driving to Mohican in the afternoon, with my new shirt installed, the skies were mostly sunny and it was around freezing.  Closing in on Loudonville I looked to the west and spotted a mass of dark clouds.  For a few moments I wondered if it was going to rain before realizing it would snow at this temperature.  No worries over a few flurries I figured.

On the first, uphill mile at Mohican it's usually not challenging to stay warm and I certainly did today.  By mile two I was adjusting my outer wind layer to let in some breeze.  I guess I was feeling hyperwarm, the new base layer was getting the job done well.

Frozen ground.

Between miles six and seven I met the only person I would see on the trail today.  He was also riding a singlespeed and had ridden out before turning back to ride the opening miles in reverse.  We chatted a few minutes and headed off our separate ways.  Within ten minutes of our parting it started to snow a little as I started up the climb overlooking the gorge.  Next thing I knew it was a whiteout.

No view into the gorge, just white.  It almost

looked foggy in the distance. 

The snow flakes were big, wet, and numerous.  The view into the gorge was filled with snow, nothing could be seen.  In very little time the ground was covered and it was not letting up.  I decided to turn back under the assumption riding was going to be slow and dicey.  It was.

Deciding to turn back now.

With my tire treads packed with snow it was hard to crank the singlespeed uphill and keep traction.  After  spinning out a few times and putting a foot down my cleats packed with snow too.  Now it was difficult to clip into the pedals and I spent some time banging my feet against a tree to knock the snow pack loose from my shoe soles.  Otherwise, it was really scenic riding in a suddenly changed woods.  A white blanket had been laid down.

On the way out (top).  On the way back (bottom).

For the longest time I didn't see any tracks from the guy I had talked to just before the snow hit.  The snow had been so steady it filled in his tracks.  Eventually I started to see his tread pattern in the snow.  The white stuff had stopped after depositing a couple inches.

Following a track.

Arriving back to the car I was ready for some food.  It hadn't been a long distance ride but I put in the time, especially with slower riding in the snow.  It was a good test of my new shirt and it did well!

Recovery chocolate.

...


I pulled into the garage and took some gear into the house.  A surprise met me when I came back to get the bike off the rack... I guess that's frozen road spray from the drive home.

Chunky looking wheel.

Oh this is going to be fun to clean.

Warm Woods, Cold Road

Went down to Mohican for a ride this afternoon.  It has been a while since riding a mountain bike and I chose the Karate Monkey for this ride.  I thought an eight mile out and back would be a good ride and would fit within the family schedule of the afternoon.

The temperature was right around freezing and it was windy, but I figured it wouldn't be too hard to stay comfortable in the woods.  I put on some layers, loaded the bike onto the back of the car, and headed to the trail head.

I was soon rolling out of the parking lot and into the woods.  Oh yes, the first left hand corner to start the ride... wham!  I managed to drastically oversteer myself onto my face and crash within the first 45 seconds of the ride.  Maybe I forgot how nimble the monkey rides.  I jumped back on and pretended nothing happened.

Leaves down but no snow today.

About 3 miles in I stopped and let some air out of my tires.  Ahhh... so much better.  I was getting bounced around and knew I had a few too many pounds of pressure.  About 8 miles in I reached the road and was supposed to turn back.  Instead, I talked myself into a quick descent to the covered bridge and climb up Mount Doom.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The downhill to the covered bridge was cold!  With no pedaling and a constant wind in my face I was chilled by the time I reached the bottom.  No worries, the climbing will heat me up.  And it did.  Two times I stalled the singlespeed on uphill corners.  I guess my legs were not ready for it but it was a good workout.

Before long I reached the second trail head and scooted over to SR97 for a ride back to the car.  I then learned what cold really felt like.  Despite zipping up and tightening wrist cuffs and hunkering down, I was frozen by the time I reached the car.  The fast downhills on the road took their toll.

Blasting the heat on the drive home and a hot McD's coffee brought me back to comfortable.  It was a good ride for this time of year, especially on the singlespeed.  I think I will feel this one tomorow.

Manatoc Re-Experienced

For the second year I made it to the Manatoc Experience.  Last year I couldn't spell it correctly. Unfortunately this year Ryan was not able to make it.  Right up to the morning of the event I debated if I was going to fly solo or wait until next year for a re-visit.  These trails at Camp Manatoc are only open to the public once a year.  I'm glad I went.

After paying the $5 entry fee I parked in the gravel lot near the boy-scout's lodge.  There was a good crowd assembled for the festival. A lot of people were there to ride and every few minutes I saw bikes headed towards the trail.  As I pulled my gear out of the car I saw OCC rider Keith Feeman riding circles in the parking lot on his new Groovy bike.  We headed out with his friend Lisa for a lap of the course.

Keith's custom Groovy hardware.

I quickly realized I have not been on my Paragon for many weeks. The squish up front felt comfy but inaccurate at the same time.  I frequently found myself unnecessarily attempting to soak up roots and transitions.  The new carbon bars may have also contributed to the added comfort, I know they did in terms of sweep angle.

Part way into the lap I jumped on with Ryan Knopf and Mike Chapman.  We finished the lap together and meet up with some of the other Soupcan guys near the festival area.  I felt pretty good on the first lap and was enjoying the fast course conditions.  Just like everywhere else around, it's been dry at Camp Manatoc.

Starting my second lap.

I headed out on a second lap following Jason, Wes, Mike, and another guy I do not know.  It was good to ride with faster riders and see their lines.  I lost contact in the second half of the course but enjoyed the ride.

Back to the car I was about to dismount my bike when asked by several ladies if I could take their picture.  Rather than use one of their phones I took the picture with my camera and promised to email it to them. We chatted after I took the picture and they headed out for a lap.  It was nice to meet some new people on mountain bikes and I'm glad the picture came out well.

Smiles for the upcoming miles.

Forgetting about demo rides, I changed clothes and stashed my bike and gear in the car.  I walked over to the expo and had a look through the displays.  I guess I didn't really have a need to demo ride as I'm not bike shopping in the near future.

The expo area.

Trek and Felt were the manufacturers at the expo as well as a couple bike shops.  There were some interesting things to see.

The Trek booth.

A Kona fatbike at a shop's booth.

I met a guy and his Karate Monkey, the only

one I saw today.

Found a sweet cross bike for you Ryan!

All the while a log pull event was in progress.

Michigan Vacation 3

Just like last year we made a trip south to Clare for some tasty pastries at Cops and Doughnuts.  Ellen didn't hesitate to enjoy the sugar.  Our good weather continued and it warmed up later in the week, making swimming in the lake more enjoyable.  More fish were caught, I got in another mountain bike ride, and there was plenty of chasing after the kids.

Doughnut time.

 Which is bigger... hanging basket or

the bike seat?

I spy an Ellen.

Someone forgot their pedal.

 I'm being watched.

Not so much a tan line, more a sand line.

  I thought it said $6k... I was ready to buy.

 Thanks for the fun MMCC trail and Karate Monkey.

After another summer trip to the cottage I wonder where we will go next year.  I guess we'll have to take requests from both kids when the question of "where do you want to go on vacation?" is asked again.

Michigan Vacation 2

It's nice to be on vacation.  We've spent time flying a kite over Lake Huron, hiking around sand dunes along the Au Sable River, and jumping off the dock at our cottage.  Never a cloudy sky so far.

Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron.

Lumberman's Monument, Huron-Manistee National Forests.

Budd Lake, Harrison, MI..

I made it back to the MMCC for another ride.

Parked amongst registering students.

Slow riding past the camera.

There's fungus among us.

 Sandy puddle ahead!

 British Soldiers Lichen on a stump along the trail.

 The "powerline climb" of the trail.

Michigan Vacation!

Back in the spring we asked Daniel where he would like to go for vacation.  Without much hesitation he said, "the cottage!"  KT and I agreed, remembering the good times we had last year on Budd Lake in Harrison, MI.

A major goal for this year's trip was for Daniel to catch a fish.  Without much delay, we headed to the boat dock upon arrival.

KT and Daniel casting away.

Fortunately fish are not very smart, at least not at first.  We soon caught a nice sunfish by simply dropping an un-baited hook into the water.  Subsequent attempts were not as successful so we progressed to banana chunks and finally bait on the hook to catch several more sunfish.

Nice first catch fisherman Daniel!

The temperatures were pretty mild the first part of our week on the lake.  It was mid to upper 70's by day and in the 40's at night.  We still spent plenty of time down by the water.  Tuesday I headed 5 miles south to Mid Michigan Community College for a mountain bike ride.

Forgot bike pump and didn't have presta to schrader

adapter.  Solution... shoot air into CO2 pump head.

It worked!

Last year I really grew to like this ~10 mile course.  It's not flat but rolling, there's plenty of corners and twists, and the occasional sand puddle adds to the interest.

In the woods.

The course was in great shape this year.  From some web reading I'd heard there were some storms resulting in down trees earlier this year.  I saw very little evidence of damage and constantly thought this is a cared for trail.

Plenty of interesting 'shrooms along the trail.

The Karate Monkey was my steed this year.  I knew it would be a perfect match to the course and there were no disappointments in this choice.  Only one gear is needed, though I could've used a smaller cog on this course, and suspension is not necessary here.  The quick handling and agility of the Monkey made for tons of fun.

Banana stop.

KT and the kids went for a hike while I rode.  As we relaxed under a tree near the parking lot a mountain biker car pulled in.  We talked with a retired couple of school teachers who came from nearby to ride.  They also had a really positive review of the course.

Post hike rest break.

This is how retired teachers roll.

 

Less than 10 minutes from our cottage to the trail, there will be more rides this week.

The end.