That must be spring in the air

The half winter (maybe even quarter winter) that we've been enduring seems to have finally given it's last gasp, leaving us with a gradual, almost unnoticeable transition from brown and muddy to green and muddy.  But the temperatures have climbed into the 70's and the smell of earth is in the breeze.  I can hear the spring peepers calling, the robins (and turkey buzzards) are back, and the daffodils are blooming.  It would be cruel and unusual for winter to stage a final tantrum at this point.  Now if I was still living in Minnesota it would be totally possible, but for northeast Ohio - I'm calling this winter over.



Trail side ruins from the canal days at Beaver Creek.


After watching the weather all week while I was sitting at my desk - indoors - looking out the window at the sun - I'd hoped to have a veritable orgy of mountain biking over the weekend.  But with nice conditions the unmistakable knocking of delayed commitments started to make it's way into my consciousness and I decided to take care of some trail work.  So on Friday I headed down to Beaver Creek with Dave for a ride and trail work day.  I knew there were a bunch of trees down so I strapped a bow saw to my pack and started up Dogwood Trail from the picnic area, ready to play my lumberjack role.  Turns out someone had cut out at least one of the downed trees, but at least one more good-sized one had fallen - so I had plenty to keep me busy.  I think I cut out at least 6 trees and did a bit of on-the-fly drainage work, but there was one tree up near the top that I didn't get to.  It's always more work and takes longer than you think (that should be the Golden Rule of trail building).

Someone else is cutting trees at Beaver Creek too.

But it was nice to get in a ride, even if it was a short one, and the extra danger of riding singletrack with a big honkin' saw strapped to my back made it even more fun.  Beaver Creek is one of my favorite places, where I've spent literally hundreds of hours camping, hiking, kayaking and biking.  That makes it even nicer to give back some by working on the trails.



Panoramic shot of Beaver Creek.

 Saturday morning I'd scheduled trail work on the North Road Nature Preserve project.  With nice weather I'd hoped that there would be a pretty good turn out, but the only one to show up was Bernie.  That guy is something else - 73 years old and full of energy.  We hauled in about a half ton of rock using the trail wagon, then moved some flagstone we found on-site.  After that we went over to the super wet area and started to cut the corridor that is going to be the re-route.  It would have been nice if I would have been smart enough to avoid the trouble area in the first place, but I think that this new line will definitely be an improvement.  We put in three hours of work, then collected up the tools and headed back up the trail with the wagon - just in time to meet another volunteer who was delayed in showing up for his first trail work day.  No worries though, we talked and he'll likely be returning to help (yay).



I wonder how far down that you could ride...

I'd thought about going out for a ride on the rail trail Saturday afternoon, but I was pretty worn out so I just spent some time starting the season's yard and house work.  But I was thinking about what I should do on Sunday afternoon after Diana got off work.  My inclination was to head back over to Moraine and try to lengthen up the loop I'd been riding the last couple of weeks.  But I could still faintly hear those blasted commitments knocking, so I once again loaded up bike and tools and headed back down to Beaver Creek.

Ready to rake and ride.

First I left the bike in the woods at the top of the loop, then I parked at the bottom and hiked back up - which gave me the opportunity to tackle the last blockage near the top.  I managed to tear off a big flap of skin on my hand and painted a good portion of the surrounding trees with my blood, but eventually the huge mass of grapevines that was dragged down by the falling tree was cleared enough to ride through.  I completed the hike and then rode back down the long leg of the loop back down to the bottom (no blockages - hooray!)  Once I got back to the car I packed up the bike, grabbed some tools and headed up to where the new trail is going to be built.  I got the okay to make this trail the week before I fractured my skull in October, so this job has been waiting for quite a while.

Cell phone pic of the brook from the hillside trail.

I wanted to take a chance to start the benching on this project before getting a trail crew out there.  If it was going to be an impossible job to bench the extremely rocky soil then I wanted to know before there were other people there.  But I was happy to see that though it was a tough job, it was something that we could do.  So next weekend is Boy Scout camping, the weekend after is North Park trail work and the NEXT weekend is going to be the first big Beaver Creek work day.  I hope I can get a couple of people to come out and join in, but even if I have to do it myself I'm going to get this new trail put in.

Starting to bench the new trail at Beaver Creek (another cell phone pic).


So instead of three days of riding, this weekend was three days of trail work.  It would have been nice to get in at least one longer ride, but I'm really happy to see progress on my two trail projects.  Because when I get these projects done I'm going to see if they'll let me build some mtb trails at Mosquito Lake State Park - just ten minutes up the road from my house.  I can hardly wait.

Just another gorgeous dawn.

Next weekend though, after the Boy Scout campout - I'm going to RIDE.

Variety - photo supplement

When I put together the "Variety" post yesterday I realized that there were a lot more good photos than could be used in a short blog post.  So after a bit of reflection I decided to make another post with captioned pictures, as well as a short video clip.



The restless waters of Beaver Creek



Gathering sap for maple syrup the new-fangled way.



Beside the Greenway in Ashtabula County.



Youngstown Underpass

 

Contoured hillside trail at Beaver Creek.



Ripple on Mill Creek.



Rain filled hole in a rock beside Mill Creek.


I went for a ride on the rail trail this afternoon (love daylight savings time) and heard the unmistakeable sign of spring.



Spring peepers - the little frogs that let you know that spring is here.  Very, very cool.

Variety

My dad used to always say "Variety is the spice of life."  And I had no idea what he meant for years, but eventually I did figure it out.  It's true to different extents in different contexts of course, but at this point in the wheel of seasons I'm ready for something to jolt me out the winter rut.

On Friday afternoon I headed out to Beaver Creek State Park with a friend.  I parked up at the campground and rode the connector trail down to Dogwood Trail.  I followed it down to the creek, then downstream to the picnic grounds and back up the super steep trail to the campground.

This place is awesome, it has such great terrain and so much potential.  The whole problem is that it's located too far from any place with enough population to have a core of mtb riders.  So there's no one to step up and take care of the place, to be a voice for riders.  I'm trying to do this, though I live an hour away, and will start serious work on the new trail  in two weeks.

My knee was killing me Saturday morning, but after some heat and medication it was feeling better in the afternoon.  I figured I'd head out for a quick spin on the Greenway, but instead of riding from Sunside or Oakfield trailheads I headed further north into Ashtabula County.  There's a parking area and access in the little town of Orwell, so I started there and headed north.

The trail is just as nice in Ashtabula County as it is in Trumbull.  Once I rode the mile it took to get out of Orwell it was nice and quiet, with no other trail users around.  The marshy woods alongside the trail were alive with songbirds, always moving on the edge of sight.  I spotted a couple of bluebirds, which is always nice and later even saw an indigo bunting - something of a rarity.

I was busy Sunday morning, but in the afternoon I talked my brother into going for a ride out at Moraine.  He hadn't been on his bike for something like three months, which is just too damn long.  But we had a great day with temperatures in the 60's - the warmest day of the year so far - and plenty of daylight.  So we parked out at Alexander Road and made a loop from there.

Matt was apprehensive that he'd be feeling out of shape for a ride at someplace as demanding as Moraine, but it turned out that he had nothing to worry about at all.  We made a short loop in a leisurely fashion and had a great time.  Shame that I forgot the after ride beers at home.

And that was my variety for this fine weekend - three different rides at three different places.  I should have got some more things done around the house over the weekend, but I don't feel too bad about it.  Life's too short to spend all your time worrying.

Ennui

That's right.  The blahs.  Mopiness.  Lack of pep.  Shortage of vim, and also vigor.

Also lacking vigor.

I'm recovering from a cold, which worried me some since it started in my chest.  But after a week it seems that I'm recovering, with no chest congestion and just a bit of sinus hanging on.  But I'm dragging around like I'm running on low batteries - just a temporary effect of being sick I'm sure.

That oughta keep everyone out.

But I've been jonesing for adventure bigtime lately.  I need to have a whole afternoon to spend out riding someplace different, or an interesting kayaking run - something to get me going again.  It's been a long winter - if not a particularly wintry one.  Many cold, wet days.  Lots of mud and clouds.  Short days and long nights.  Even just a nice ride would help, but I'm in need of some serious fun.

Moraine.

I headed out to Moraine on Friday for a ride.  We had 1.25" of rain on Thursday, so I was pretty happy to have a chance to get out on those super durable Moraine trails and pound out some miles.  Out of all the places I've ridden, the one that has the most character is Moraine.  It's just a tough place, that you really have to commit to in order to get the most back out of it.  I had a serious accident out there last year, but it's a really wonderful mountain bike trail system.  Here's a quick video snapshot of one of the rock gardens from Friday.



I  wasn't breathing that great yet after being sick, but I rode pretty good - even a little bit longer than I had intended.  Once again I have to mention that the time that I've spent on the accursed stationary bike has paid off when I'm riding that technical rocky stuff.  It's a great feeling to be able to clean a nice 100' long rock garden, with a bunch of tech moves in a row.  I can still remember the first time I went out there, when I was a beginner rider.  My brother and I stopped out and just walked the trails to take a look at them. As we progressed along the trail I figured I'd have to walk about half of the distance of the first loop.  Now I can ride everything on it.  I haven't managed a no-dab lap - yet - but I'd like to think that I might be able to someday.

A great place for a bike ride!

Recently it's been pointed out that my riding style is, shall we say "leisurely".  And I really have no preconceptions that I'm out there tearing it up - I've seen the young guys and the way they can get 100% more out of the same trails I ride.  But be assured that it takes every bit of energy I can muster to ride the way I do, so I'd like to think that I'm at least somewhat of an aggressive rider when I want to be.  This weekend I went through a TON of video footage from the last three years or so, looking for some decent rock riding clips.  And I put together a "glamour shots" video that kind of almost makes it look like I know what I'm doing.



Temps in the upper 50's tomorrow.  I think I may take my bike to work and ride during lunch.

Under the weather

Unfortunately I've been visited by some vile germ, which is trying to make it so that I can't breathe.  As a matter of fact I think this particular germ would be very happy if I just stopped breathing altogether.

Well it ain't happening, germ.  Get bent.

Before the crud of doom started to fill my chest I went back to Moraine and got in another nice loop.  And I went through some pictures from the last week, so I have a couple of decent shots.  Rather than tax my  mind with trying to come up with a (semi) decent post, I'm just going to post a couple of pictures with captions.

The abandoned section of Alexander Road at Moraine State Park 

The Shed on the switchback trail at Moraine State Park

Setting sun shines on log & rock feature on the ridgetop loop at Moraine State Park

Sunset in western Pennsylvania

Twilight approaches (and not the lame sparkly vampire kind)

Sunrise behind a cloud bank in NE Ohio

The Grid

Lanterman Mill at Mill Creek Park

There's supposed to be some nice weather this weekend, and I am optimistically hoping that I'll be able to enjoy it.  Plus I scheduled trail work for Sunday, so I'll be there unless I'm actually dying.  Fingers are crossed....

What it is - and another trip to Moraine

For my friends and family that don't ride - this post is about what it is that makes me want to take my bike out into the woods.

I've always loved being in the woods - it truly recharges me to spend time in nature. There is something about the silence in the woods, but when you really stop and listen you can hear the life around you - wind in the trees, birds calling, animals in the leaves. Whether hiking or paddling or riding, a day spent in the woods is rarely wasted time.  But it goes further than that.

Part of it is the challenge of doing your best to take your bike over difficult terrain.  I remember when I was kayaking a lot I occasionally would take a bike with me to help with the shuttle.  One time particularly stands out - a trip on Millstone Creek, that empties into the Clarion River in the Allegheny National Forest.  The shuttle consisted of a four mile trip along a rough gravel road with several small hills.  I started out at the foot of a hill - and only rode about 200 feet before I had to start pushing the bike.  I think I only rode about 1/2 mile out of the four, the rest I pushed the bike.  The terrain was just too tough for me - gravel and rocks - and hills.  But after riding mountain bikes for a couple of years I find that I seek out the trails that have the toughest, most technical terrain - and though I don't conquer the rocks, I do pretty darn good at not letting them conquer me.

Another part is the physical challenge.  Separate from the technical, skills facet lies the physical, strength part. It takes a lot of stamina to be able to deliver the level of energy that it takes to ride a bike across country.  Just look at the calories burned for a two hour mountain bike ride and you'll begin to see how much it takes.  And I'm just a middle aged guy with bad lungs who fools around at riding - imagine what it takes for the truly skilled riders who do 100 mile races with thousands of feet of elevation gains.  It's a stunning feat to be able to accomplish, truly a testament to the strength of the human body.  But for me, knowing that I can go out on a nice day and push myself hard for a couple of hours, making it home tired but happy - that is worth a lot.

And let's not forget the fun aspect!  Zipping down a hill between the trees, bouncing over the roots and climbing up the rocks, splashing through the creeks and mud - this is really a lot of fun.  With so many responsibilities and duties, it's not easy to feel like a kid again - and mountain biking does that for me.  Even though I've promised my wife I won't do the jumping-through-the-air stuff any more, the staying on the ground stuff is still a heck of a good time.

And I can do it without worrying about competing with anyone (I'm about as competitive as a rock) - I can ride with a group or on my own.  It helps clear my mind by requiring 100% of my  attention so that I have no time to worry about anything else.  It keeps me fit - I think I'm probably in better shape now than I was 20 years ago.  My breathing, while still problematic, is better than it's been for years.  And though I'm still clumsy as a bear in a bag, my balance and reactions seem to have improved as well.  All in all, it gives me something that I enjoy so much that I'm always looking forward to the next time I can do it.

I got out on Moraine again last Sunday as I had hoped.  Then I got some singletrack on Friday, then again today on Saturday when I headed back out to Moraine again.  This time I took a bunch of extra time to shoot some video, and I put together another short video for the days ride.  I know these little videos aren't spectacular - there are no bikes flying through the air, no spectacular desert scenery - but I enjoy making them.  I try to catch the feeling of the day, and the feeling of the sport for someone of my age and abilities.  This video starts off with the trip over to the trails - and I have to say that I enjoy this particular route quite a bit.  I parked back at the Alexander Road lot and rode a short loop down by the marina, then back up the switchback trail.



I've done pretty good with my exercise this last week, though I have to admit that I didn't eat very good last night.  Pizza and beer are good sometimes, even if they aren't exactly health food.  And it's not a sure thing, but I think I might be able to get out and ride again tomorrow - which would be a  really cool way to end the weekend.

Rocks and Mud

Back in the day, years and years ago, I got around in the woods on foot.  I spent a lot of time backpacking around the national forests of the eastern US, especially the wilderness areas.   The prospect of a day walking through mud or rocks never particularly bothered me - it was just part of the price of admission.

Rocks at the IMBA Epic trails at Ellicottville, NY

Later I turned my attention to traveling by water, and I started spending a lot of my time in a kayak.  At first it was back in the swamps and ponds, where I certainly became a lot more intimately acquainted with mud - like the stinky, slimy mud packed into beaver dams.  Later my paddling adventures centered more around whitewater, with hundreds of trips on dozens of streams across the Appalachians and Adirondacks.  Rocks became an essential part of every trip, every stream and every rapid - along with water they defined the experience.



Me on Scrubgrass Creek, PA

 These days I get around in the woods on a bicycle, though I still spend some time paddling and hiking.  Rocks and mud have a different kind of significance in this realm, one as tied to the definition of the experience as rock and water are tied to whitewater kayaking.  Some would say that mud and rock are there for riders to conquer, though I don't see how you ever beat the rocks - you just manage to not let them beat you.  For me, they help to create this huge stage, where I get to go and play - making as much as I can out of what's there and what I can do.



My brother at Ellicottville, NY

Mud is another deal though.  In small doses it can be just a part of the mix that creates a challenging ride.  A lot of riders have experience with those soft spots that seem to hardly ever dry out, and have to be ridden with different strategies for different moisture levels.  The other face of mud is that of the barrier - when it's so bad that you can't with good conscience continue on down the trail because to the damage you'd do.  That's when a mountain biker hates the mud - even though it's just the same old trail with a bit more water.

Moraine

This week I took the chance to head out to the trails at Moraine State Park, in Pennsylvania.  These trails handle the water better than any place around, and though it was pretty wet I thought I'd take a chance. Moraine has a lot of rocks, with a good portion of decayed sandstone in the soil, so it drains really well. Once I got on the singletrack I could tell that the soil was moist under the leaves, but most of it was still pretty solid.   There were places where the trail doesn't drain well due to the way it was laid out, but these were short stretches and not really all that bad to get off and walk around.  And since it's such a technical trail that I'm not able to ride far without putting down a foot anyway, having to get off and walk on 10% of the trail doesn't ruin the ride for me.

It was a good ride.  I had a nice couple of downhill sections, some rewarding technical features, and I fell over a couple of times.  But no damage was done to me or the bike, and I did get out and get in the sun for a while so it was all good.  I wish I would have had another hour, then I would have made the whole big loop rather than do a small loop and then some out-n-back.  Maybe on Sunday?

Near Moraine State Park.

Kenny and I went out and did some trail work on Saturday morning.  I hadn't called for the group to come and work, so it was just the two of us.  Big portions of the trail were really, really muddy and we spent some time looking at a reroute for the worst section.  We did find a slightly higher spot, but it's in the middle of the biggest wild rose thicket I have ever seen. I'm torn up all over from the damn thorns.

Near Neshannock Falls, PA

We also spent a couple of hours digging rocks out of the old spoils piles from when they bulldozed in the roads fifty years ago.  It's hard, dirty work but if the only rocks in the area are ones that have to be dug up, then that's the way it has to be.  This area is mostly full of chunks of flagstone, and we found some huge pieces that will be great for firming up the muddy sections.  I have a feeling that there is a LOT more rock in there, if we're willing to put in the sweat to dig it up.



Bridge over Neshannock Creek, where I've spent many days paddling.


We had a good time though.  It's always a good time going to do trail work with Kenny - he's a fun kid.  He loves digging in the dirt - getting muddy is no problem for this boy.  Now that I think about it, we had another fun day centered on rocks and mud.



On the way home - day is done.

I put together a little video of Moraine riding from this January and February.  It's nothing spectacular by any means, though I do like the song ("Cross Country" by the Godz).