Today's Ride

[dorset boy]

On the local trailway that used to be a railway line. They are trying to get a few miles back into use step by step.

 

[al-onestare]

Magic morning, with west coast US lighting, that very distinctive un-filtered blue/pink look, even though the sun is a bright orange/yellow. I've not see it anywhere else in the UK (yet). It's like being in an IG photo, really cool. After some rain overnight and yesterday evening, it was a very comfortable 11/12 degrees, a light NE breeze to make it cooler in the shadows. Thankfully the lights had enough charge from the early spring to get me about for the first hour before they stopped and it was lighter (they're all charging now for next week).

A sharp right ahead before a swoop down to the bottom of Sancreed, and the climb into the village up to the beacon. Lovely stuff.

 

[mk one]

Magic morning, with west coast US lighting, that very distinctive un-filtered blue/pink look, even though the sun is a bright orange/yellow. I've not see it anywhere else in the UK (yet). It's like being in an IG photo, really cool. After some rain overnight and yesterday evening, it was a very comfortable 11/12 degrees, a light NE breeze to make it cooler in the shadows. Thankfully the lights had enough charge from the early spring to get me about for the first hour before they stopped and it was lighter (they're all charging now for next week).

A sharp right ahead before a swoop down to the bottom of Sancreed, and the climb into the village up to the beacon. Lovely stuff.

Looks wet there, nice colours though

 

[al-onestare]

Looks wet there, nice colours though

Yeah, looks much worse than it was, plenty of dried out spots and very little surface water. Really good riding conditions.

 

[Nigelpa]

Cycle ride over to my mums on the Isle of Wight On Wednesday for couple of nights. Nice ride along the quiet west Wight lanes.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Today it was sprinkling rain and 10C. I got a little cold, but not bad. I started on the gravel access road to our house. After 500 meters on our access road I have a trail that I made and keep open for cycling. We are lucky to have a lot we purchased 30 years ago on a lake in the Hiawatha National Forrest. The Forrest is huge so I can ride forever on gravel and have a self maintained 72 mile woods trail right from my front door. I cut the deadfalls out, but only wide enough for a bicycle. If ATV riders come along they have to cut it wider, I’m not doing their work.
I need to cut out the overhead brush. I didn’t get around to it this spring.
There are many, many lakes and ponds in the Hiawatha Forrest.
Nice trees. Peaceful.
I use a three speed for this easy to ride stuff. Sticks get into a derailleur and mangle them.
Time for a breather.
A short section of gravel, as good as it gets.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Today it was sprinkling rain and 10C. I got a little cold, but not bad. I started on the gravel access road to our house. After 500 meters on our access road I have a trail that I made and keep open for cycling. We are lucky to have a lot we purchased 30 years ago on a lake in the Hiawatha National Forrest. The Forrest is huge so I can ride forever on gravel and have a self maintained 72 mile woods trail right from my front door. I cut the deadfalls out, but only wide enough for a bicycle. If ATV riders come along they have to cut it wider, I’m not doing their work.View attachment 665634View attachment 665635
I need to cut out the overhead brush. I didn’t get around to it this spring.View attachment 665636
There are many, many lakes and ponds in the Hiawatha Forrest.View attachment 665637View attachment 665638
Nice trees. Peaceful.View attachment 665639
I use a three speed for this easy to ride stuff. Sticks get into a derailleur and mangle them.View attachment 665640View attachment 665641
Time for a breather.View attachment 665642
A short section of gravel, as good as it gets.View attachment 665643

Rest and hydration time.
Homemade connector trail between logging skids. Everyone calls them trails that aren’t or corncob connectors.
Mud in a boggy area between ponds.
One of the four ponds my trail weaves around. I didn’t go by them all today as I only rode about 6 miles because of the drizzle.
I finished up by getting our mail. Area drop box on our gravel access road.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Rest and hydration time.View attachment 665649
Homemade connector trail between logging skids. Everyone calls them trails that aren’t or corncob connectors.View attachment 665644
Mud in a boggy area between ponds.View attachment 665646
One of the four ponds my trail weaves around. I didn’t go by them all today as I only rode about 6 miles because of the drizzle.View attachment 665647
I finished up by getting our mail. Area drop box on our gravel access road.View attachment 665648

The Hiawatha National Forest is 879,000 acres, a small part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We live right in the center of the Hiawatha National Forrest. The UP contains 16,500 square miles (about the size of Denmark) of which 84% is forest so I have endless logging and fire trails to ride. It’s all bush and wilderness. The population since 1900 has remained pretty constant with a little less than 300,000 for the all time max. It’s a little less than that now. Over two thirds of the population live in villages with less than 2000 people.

 

[Jamesbike]

The Hiawatha National Forest is 879,000 acres, a small part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We live right in the center of the Hiawatha National Forrest. The UP contains 16,500 square miles (about the size of Denmark) of which 84% is forest so I have endless logging and fire trails to ride. It’s all bush and wilderness. The population since 1900 has remained pretty constant with a little less than 300,000 for the all time max. It’s a little less than that now. Over two thirds of the population live in villages with less than 2000 people.

How do you not get lost!

Consider moving over pre covid except health insurance for my Mrs was a no no!

 

[Nabeaquam]

How do you not get lost!

Consider moving over pre covid except health insurance for my Mrs was a no no!

It’s like a spider web and it’s always changing from logging. Most logging trails dead end. GPS in some areas doesn’t show roads, it shows you moving along a blank screen with no features to help locate yourself. I just explore on the bike. I sometimes don’t know where I’ll end out. I’ve gotten temporarily disoriented. There is no cell service where I ride. Once I figure out a route I like I clear it for biking. I have a mile section I can’t ride right now because I have to cut out deadfalls. I’ll do that this week.