Trail Showcase - Cannonsburg Ski Area

The helmet cam takes us to the northeast suburbs of Grand Rapids to the tiny township of Cannonsburg, named after eastern capitalist LeGrand Cannon (no idea what an eastern capitalist is but looked it up). The trail has come a long way (for the better) since I last rode it about a decade ago. More miles have been added (about 10 total, lot of flow) and alternate loop direction based on the day of the week have reduced trail wear.

trailhead

For metro Detroiters, it's about 19 miles north of Lowell so get off at the Lowell exit and your idiot phone will send you the rest of the way. For west siders, West River Drive off of US-131, north of Grand Rapids, eventually becomes Cannonsburg Rd after about 10 or so miles to the east and the idiot phone will take you from there. 

Park at the ski lodge and the trailhead entrance heads south from there. Head towards the yellow tube on the side of one of the ski hills. I'm going off of memory but believe the yellow flow was Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; red flow the others. 

positives

The re-do of the trail has made for a great flow. I didn't ride on Tuesday but hear their evening "taco Tuesday" ride/gatherings are a treat and bring the crowds.

negatives

No negatives. Northeast Grand Rapids is a beautiful area.

Cell phone users may need to click the link to view the attached video. The squirrel parade is at about the 1:20 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF9IoGfSUmc

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Trail Head

Trail Showcase - Waterloo Recreation Area

The helmet cam today takes to the town of Jiffy Mix, the Purple Rose Theatre (and it's Hollywood famous founder) and one of the faster mountain bike trails in the area. Just a bit west of Ann Arbor, Chelsea is a cool little town with Waterloo Recreation Area a bit north of downtown; a large-ass piece of state land (3rd largest park in Michigan - looked it up). Within the park, a large company made a very nice donation in helping create what is now close to 20 miles of mountain bike trails. Three loops, Green Lake, Big Kame and the latest addition, Winn. The caretakers of the trails have created a trail like no others in the area as it is fast-fast-fast. 

trailhead

There are two trailheads to choose from. The main one is off of M-52, a few miles north of downtown Chelsea on the west side of the road, just north of Green Lake. Quick access to the Green Lake and Big Kame loops from there.

The second trailhead was recently put in with the Winn loop's creation. Take Waterloo Rd west off of M-52 about three miles until you see the signs for Cassidy Lake Correctional Facility. Take a right turn on Cassidy, past the facility about two miles and the trailhead is on the right. Quick access to the Winn and Big Kame loops from there.

positives

Like Ricky Bobby's wish in Talladega Nights, if you also want to go fast, Waterloo is your place. You cannot not (double word there) go fast on this trail the way it is designed.

It is well maintained. The alternate trail flows on specific days makes for less wear.  Some other trails in the area will frown upon rain riders but this trail will literally put the TRAIL CLOSED sign on damp days.

negatives

I enjoy it but the too-tight spandex riders will say it isn't real mountain biking because of the limited obstacles. The hills and rocks are still there but the tree roots aren't to throw my back out so no complaints in my world. 

The vendor overseeing this site has changed the process so you may need to click the attached link to see the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86sJpDcotw

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Trail Head

Trail Showcase - Stony Creek

The helmet cam takes us to the east side today to Stony Creek Metropark in Shelby Township. The east side has limited territory to work with but has a rabid riding base who embrace the area trails. 

The east siders have flogged me for pointing it out on the trail condition sites but not a fan of the layout at this location. It is a very large bowl with a two track comprising the outside of the bowl with the guts of the trail on the inside. The trick is getting to the inside of the bowl. The experienced riders of the trail advise that it just takes time figuring out a loop but that doesn't help those that ride it roughly once a year.

trailhead

The trailhead/parking lot resides in the very west end of the park (park is at Dequindre/Mt Vernon/26 Mile Rd), past the lake and the golf course. Look for the Shelden Trails sign and a bunch of cars/trucks with bike racks attached to them.

positives

Once you get into the guts of the trail, it flows well and is well maintained by the local riding chapter. Those not feeling it or with less experience can do the two track to get a feel for the terrain.

Stony Creek Lake makes for a nice post ride refresher after the ride.

negatives

Mentioned already but not a fan of having to stop at multiple intersections to find the guts of the trail. I foresee collisions happening with so many intersections and certain areas one way. Having the riding markers mean something would be ideal (go to marker 1, to 2, to 3....) but there is no pattern to the number layout. You go from marker 15 to 25 at one point. Keep it simple.

Deer appearance at about the 40 second mark of the attached.

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Social Distant Mountain Bike Racing - it can be done

It was done today at Hickory Glen in Commerce as the MiSCA youth riding club held race number one (not sure how many are slated) and yours truly patrolled with a handful of others. I did witness a few tumbles but no one needing this pedaling St. Bernard to assist them.

As far as the social distancing, the racers/riders were told ahead of time to arrive 30 minutes before their departure time (chip timed - riders started separate about a minute apart) and leave the park once you finish. No lingering. Most parents (lot of helicopter parents at that) were masked up with very limited clustering so a gold star to the group putting it on under the circumstances. 

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My Own Private Idaho

The bike tour headed to potato country this past week to....bike.  And sweat just a bit as the temps were up there so morning rides were on the docket (my brain was still on eastern time so early was not a problem). Boise, Idaho did not disappoint.

Downtown Boise more or less sits a little above sea level but is surrounded by hills/mountains/rivers. The foothill trailhead access is only a short drive/pedal from downtown and found that a great start to dabbling my feet into these incredible trails. A local mountain bike patroller gave me the lay of the land and where to park so thank you to the riding gods for having this individual present while I was looking lost finding the trailhead. 

The second day's ride was no dabbling of the feet. A 16+ mile drive up (way up, about 6,000 feet of zig-zagging at 20-25 MPH until you park) Bogus Basin Road to Bogus Basin Ski Resort. The main trail's name is "Around the Mountain" and that is literally what are doing on the ride. Some manageable climbs to get you to the berms that run on the side of the mountain while you look off onto some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the distance. The mountain bike gods were again looking after me as I ran into a few riders to show me where to start as the internet's recommended path start no longer existed (the internet was wrong??? - shocker)    

As noted, the drive up to the ski lodge was 16+ miles and while the drive was crazy enough, I saw about 30 road cyclists slowly plodding up the mountain on their 10 speeds. That didn't look fun to me but am guessing it's quite a feeling of accomplishment and there is always the fun of going down the hill once getting to the top. One word of warning for those attempting the task in that bicycles share the road with vehicles and must obey the same local speed limits. Friend Gus back in the day pedaled down Brockway Drive in the U.P. and we clocked him at 45. While that is hauling, a Boise local advised me he was pulled over by the police coming down the mountain via bicycle and was clocked at 60. The cop gave him a warning but that is hauling some back side and would be quite a tumble if a rock were to grab your front tire.

There are no 60 MPH views in the video below as I was dragging ass most of the time but hopefully it captures some of the beauty this great state possesses.

Trail Head

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downtown Boise

foothill ride

downtown Boise

downtown Boise

Trail Showcase - Pinckney Recreation Area

The helmet cam today takes us to the suburbs of Ann Arbor, an area so pompous (with the university nearby), it has street signs blue and yellow instead of the standard green and white (a nudge to their friends down the road in East Lansing). Bitterness aside, today we venture to Pinckney Recreation Area, home of the 17 mile Potawatomi Trail. A quest through the hills of hell (that have seen their better days; lot of erosion), many bridges, a couple prairies and many many roots/rocks to navigate through, it isn't for the leisure rider. The park also has shorter loops via the Crooked Lake and Silver Lake Trails; although even those have their difficult moments. 

trailhead

The park resides about 10 miles west of US-23 via North Territorial Rd (for those coming from the east) to Dexter Townhall Rd, north to the park entrance. Riders share the parking lot with the beach-goers at Silver Lake, a beautiful lake and a treat to jump into after a long ride. 

positives

For the hardcore rider, the trail has everything. Some of the hills are impossible in my eyes to climb but assume there are riders out there who don't leave their pedals the entire ride. I did my share of walking up hills during the ride. The trail has it's share of hills, however, most can be conquered by pedaling, rather than coasting, on the downhills to get momentum up to the next hill. Always be looking ahead and you won't have too many issues getting through it.

It is a beautiful park/forest with lake views at various portions of the trail.

A great sense of accomplishment after finishing with the lake jump in front of you afterwards.

negatives

As noted above, the old lady has taken a bit of wear over the years and is showing it. I don't dare mention it on the trail condition sites as the too-tight-spandex-riding mafia might call me out. "How dare you want to alter our trail!!!"  Lighten up Francis.

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Trail Head

'Stache/Beard Attempt Complete

As promised a few months back, attached (no fake news, that is me) is a four month attempt at growing facial hair. Not exactly the Ron Swanson/Thomas Magnum (fictitious people) 'stache I envisioned in my dreams but could probably go into the next decade not shaving and still have the same spotty, mixed color with various patches. I'll miss getting an extra drink of water walking out of the shower from the mustache grabbing excess water or looking like I'm thinking about something serious while rubbing it, but the experiment ended this past Friday as the razor made an appearance. I'd like to say it was a good run but no.
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