Well, three brave souls, (Phil, Rick & Brent), took a chance on the weather and decided to hit the trails at Riverside State Park today. The rain held off for the majority of our ride and we even made it back to our vehicles prior to the big dump!
What a great day on the Mountain Bikes and what a gem we have in Riverside State Park, especially being so close! Our route today incorporated old dirt road, single track and, for a brief but spectacular piece, "hike-a-bike". Most of the rides these three amigos do seem to insist on a perma-smile and today was no exception! The ground for MTB'ng is perfect right now, the colors are amazing and it's a privilege to breath the fresh fall air while improving fitness. Many who read this will no doubt be familiar with the rideable trail system at Riverside State Park but there are a number of trails, (non-rideable), that are very much worth the trek on foot, carrying and/or pushing the bike. Trail #411 is one of these. If you've not been on it before it's hard to imagine that what you see even exists. (see attached photos) To include this little journey in a mild afternoon MTB ride is most rewarding. Trail #411 begins, (from the Centennial Trail end), just a short distance beyond crossing the Deep Creek Bridge. You'll notice a small gathering area & short trail where rock climbers meet to go and practice their climbing. This is not Trail #411 which is just a few feet beyond that point. Keep your eyes open and you'll see a small sign showing you the way. Trail #411 is approximately 1/2 mile long and, as I mentioned earlier, for foot traffic only. It does eventually intersect Trail #25 which gets better in terms of being rideable shortly thereafter. Believe me, the walk along 411 is worth the effort!
The day in whole was near perfect with no mechanicals. One of our fine team, (brother Rick), did have a little "tip-over-land-on-small-branch" moment as we traversed one of many rock gardens near the end of the day. Fortunately, he's as tough as nails and after a little brush off we were back on our way!
We capped off the event with some good food and spirits at the Flying Goat!
Can't wait to go out again and hope more of our Baddlands MTB brothers / sisters can join in.
Until next time, Cheers!
P.S. - please remember that in the main map screen you can change map overlays with all the zooming & route playing you desire. Don't forget the the three tabs to the right, (Overview, Metrics and Export). When scrolling down in the Overview tab you'll come to the first photo. By clicking in the middle of the photo it will automatically go full screen for clearer viewing and easy scrolling.
Brent