Number 986th Place!

I recently started using a new program with my phone that has the ability to track your mountain bike riding efforts. I won't bore you with maps of each ride as who wants to see a bunch of maps with some red squiggle lines throughout? One of the bells/whistles of the program, however, is it also tracks EVERYONE who has rode a certain trail (and is using the application) and ranks the times. As old Coach Stevenson used to tell us, there is always someone better. So true in this case. For the trail I rode today, I am in 986th place, so I got that going for me. I pulled up a few trails in the area for comparison with the group I follow; noted at the bottom of this post. Leading the way on two I pulled is former Milford Redskin Shaun L. Funny thing is I don't recall Shaun being that athletic in high school but damn she has really taken a grip on the mountain bike world. Right behind her is my nephew Jackson and roughly 10 minutes off the pace is yours truly. My excuse (always an excuse) is I like to stop for photo opportunities and Hendrix on with my music player a bit more than the others. Excuses, excuses.
Trail Head  

Indy Road Trip - Blind Squirrel Found a Nut

Yep, it had to happen eventually. Prior to yesterday, only one Lion road trip for me resulted in a victory, that being the woeful Browns when we had the "we suck less" chant going. I'm going off of memory but some form of my Michigan posse has been to Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland (twice), Green Bay, Nashville, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.....to see the Lions lose. That is a lot of losing on the road. But thanks to the Colts secondary who I hear were working at UPS and Staples last week, the Lions somehow won. They tried their darnedest to lose but it was not to be. 

These trips are usually part football and part local sight seeing, however, being a former Hoosier back in the late 90's, I had seen most of it already so besides checking out my old house, I was more or less being the tour guide Saturday night for the many Michiganders making the drive.  

With me for the game were friends and former co-workers when I lived down there, Devin and Doug. Both are still in the area, raising families and doing well. Rather than doing the pre-game tailgate, we went with the local tavern to watch the early games. Many "Luck" jerseys in the house.  

A gold star to the Lion contingent who made the trip. We sat near a group from Allen Park and the northeast area of the stadium had the "Let's go Li-ons" chant going before being drowned out by the Colts fans who just booed. Devin and Doug had to hear my rendition of "forward down the field" after each Lion score; which of course ends with the ROOOOAAARRRR!!!!!! (with the stretched out claw for effect). 

The Colts stadium is a beautiful one. It is pretty much identical to the Lions stadium with one caveat that I can't believe wasn't even considered; a retractable roof with a north end wall that opens to the city skyline. 

It wasn't pretty but the Lions are 1-0 and in first place!

Trail Head 

winning field goal

Devin and Doug

view from the north side of the stadium

quite a few Lion fans in the house

victory is near

 

my old crib in Indianapolis

Pre-Labor Pedal

East Side Eddie P.

Summer time is unofficially closing shop once again for the 48th year of my existence and what better way to start the Labor Day festivities than a pedal! East Side Eddie P. braved the bullshi* traffic (accidents mixed in with stressed out headed-out-of-town- ASAP travelers; the perfect storm for a cluster fu**) to join me for a loop at Island Lake. 

There was a little bit of everything on the trail tonight. Besides getting passed by a pack of hardcore riders, we witnessed one dude wipe it trying to climb a root/stump infested hill and his friends gave the standard, "Are you okay?" response. After years of pedaling, the proper term is "That must hurt for you to be writhing and moaning like you're passing a kidney stone." Of course he isn't okay you morons. I honestly called them out on it. 

Labor Day On!!!

Trail Head

call me Timmy Leibovitz  - too nice not to take that picture

random dude

X100 Mountain Bike Race

While I didn't partake in the pedal, I think I now have plans for next August as I got to witness my first formal (racing to the car to see who can get the first beer doesn't count) mountain bike race yesterday in Traverse City. Options of 25 (will probably be my choice), 50 or 100 miles, riders told me you more or less are going on two tracks throughout the forest with hills present but not as many tree roots and/or rocks as you would see on a normal mountain bike loop. While I don't see myself on the medal stand anytime soon, the thrill of competition....and the agony of defeat (and a cold beer afterward) is what its all about. 

Trail Head

1st and 2nd place waving to their fans

  

West Ride - Two New Trails - Journey So Far

The Trail Head has the week off and with that, an opportunity to pedal some new trails. The trails of choice yesterday were the Al Sabo Land Preserve just outside of Portage and the Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Vandalia; both on the west side of our great state. I have no idea who Al Sabo or Dr. T.K. are but they have some great trails; the doctor trail being my favorite of the two as it had a little bit of everything in terms of terrain (good hard pack) and a great layout throughout the thick forest. The hills were there but they weren't what I call "Really?" hills. The "Really?" hills occur when you come upon one and it is such a steep climb with an abundant washout through it that you can only say...."a hill here, really?"

The new additions to the tour make 37 different pedal destinations so far on the tour dating back to 1990-something (maps at the bottom of this post).
As the song goes, what a long, strange trip its been; but a darn fun one at that.
Trail Head  

Trail List:

Metro Detroit

Bald Mountain Recreation Area

Brighton Recreation Area

Hickory Glen

Highland Recreation Area

Hines Park

Holly-Holdridge Mountain Bike Trail

Island Lake

Kensington/Proud Lake Connector

Lakeshore Park

Maybury State Park

Milford Trail

Pinckney Recreation Area

Pontiac Lake Recreation Area

Proud Lake Recreation Area

Stony Creek Metropark

Grand Rapids Area

Cannonsburg Ski Area

Cannonsburg State Game Area

Kalamazoo Area

Al Sabo Land Preserve

Dr. T.K. Lawless Park

Fort Custer Recreation Area

Yankee Springs

Northern Michigan - Lower Peninsula

Boyne Highlands

Boyne Mountain

Wilderness State Park

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Arcadia Dunes

Big M

Crystal Mountain

Glacial Hills

Hanson Hills

North Country Trail

VASA Singletrack

Thumb

Albert E. Sleeper State Park

Central U.P.

Bruno's Run

Grand Island

Keeweenau Peninsula - U.P.

Copper Harbor

Michigan Tech Trails

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

Al Sabo Land Preserve

trails pedaled so far noted in red

 

Milford-Kensington-Proud Lake Connector Loop - New Rider

A new rider joined the bike tour this month. Fresh off of a meniscus tear in her knee, welcome to the riding tour J.B.! Hey, that rhymes. Yep, never mountain biked but she wanted to stay active so goodbye running shoes and hello clip-on bike shoes. For someone who just started riding three months ago, she holds her own. Twenty miles in 90 degree heat tonight was nothing but a thing. A silver lining to the heat was we had the Kensington loop pretty much to ourselves. 

The clip-on pedals are a work in progress but my guess is she'll be showing others how to do it this time next year.

Pedal on.

Trail Head

J. B. emerging from the tundra on the Proud Lake connector trail

trail head near Martindale Beach in Kensington

not a care in the world for these birds

pretty stressful

Hogs for Hospice

It was a trip to southern Canada (yes, there is southern Canada) this weekend for some friend hanging and some giving back. The giving back was in the form of the Hogs for Hospice event in Leamington. My intent was to meet up with former neighbor Tom, ride my 'fake' Hog (Yamaha may have pipes like a hog but isn't a hog) and do a Essex County loop, however, Mother Nature was too erratic and riding in the rain is no fun. With that, I went with the truck/bicycle combo. While it did rain in the morning, the clouds parted in the afternoon for what turned out to be a beautiful day for the charity. The headliner for the event concert was former Poison singer Bret Michaels; no, I did not stay for that. 

Thank you to my former Canadian neighbors for the lodging and the hospitality.

Trail Head 

be nice to this rider

 

this bike has a few stories I'm guessing

cool tree carving in Seacliff Park