Oct. 28th ride another hidden jewel of Grand Blanc.

So this morning I woke up to 32 degrees out side and sunshine, and after my morning responsibilities I said cant let this sunshine go to waste. So I decided to for a ride on the trails behind our Library. They are very nice they are not two wide in some spots but they are maintained rather nice with bridges over wetlands and good trail markers they are more for foot traffic. The trails wind around an nice creek and the colors were still pretty good, I seen several deer. There were quite a few trees down over the trails , we have had some pretty good size storms lately. They probably wont be taken care of until spring not a problem for me. just some small obstacles.

The trails are fairly flat and i would consider a rating of beginner. The single track was very narrow and not been used in a while, some of the trails there were not even single track just very soft grass which offers a lot of rolling resistance. I would estimate that one loop would be about 2.5 miles.

October 25 ride at Holdridge MBT

It has been awhile since I have been out on the trails. I felt real good this morning so after dropping the "Gman" off at school me and "Lucky" our Akita headed for the trails. It started to sprinkle a little on the way there so I checked the weather on my phone and it still said a chance of showers , who cares!. I have contemplated the east loop or maybe I should say "dreamed about it many times before but have never done it". The east loop is 15.5 miles and is rated intermediate to advanced level . So I text ed my wife where I was and my plan I left a trail map on my windshield wiper with east loop circled and off I went.

It was an amazing ride , you can do cardio in the gym on bikes and it does not come close to a 20 degree grade to 25 degree for maybe 100 yards in wet soil. It took about 3 miles before i really got warmed up I took my first break at 5 miles now when I say break I mean break off the bike on a bench break. Believe you me there were many walking my bike up a steep incline right after a switch back it still is pretty nerve racking the leaves are covering a lot of the roots and rocks on the trail so 2 hands on the bars are a requirement. I am running 50 lbs, of pressure in my tires even with a hardtail that lower pressure helps with the obstacles.

At about the half way point I did say the same thing I said on the west loop when I had Street tires still on ( what have I gotten myself in too) . So I stopped took off my helmet and wiped my face and said this trail is 3 times as long as the west loop and "You can do it Duffymoon" that is a saying that my wifes grand father said while teaching. I did meet a friend along the way a stuffed animal "Scoby Doo" have no idea how he got back there.

Once I got back there my other buddy was sure glad to see me she (lucky) said where were you dad you were gone longer than you usually are.

Ps. there is nothing like being outside on your bike.

Solo ride with out the G-man the second half of the Bipedal-alist

Today was another Indian summer day Grant was in school and I could not let the nice day go by and not get out on the trails. I try to get out as much as possible even if the weather is not so nice, so today being in the high 50's I dropped "G" offf at school and went to the gym and did my therapy routine and then hit the trails.

The last time is was there the leaves posed a problem, being slippery and covering the rocks and roots making the route very slow and cautious.This morning I decided to take off the 100psi, 1.25 street tires that I have ran all summer and the last time I was at Hold Bridge I said to my self that I have to change tires so I put my aggressive tread 2.215 mountain bike tires rated at 55psi.

Boy how the proper equipment makes a difference the same trip today with the different tires was the difference of night and day the first loop was 5 miles and it took me half the time with the new tires than the street tires. The lower pressure was awesome with the obstacles the tread helped with the traction and the climbs. It was a much more enjoyable ride. I was able to glide over most of the obstacles ever though my bike is a hard tail with no suspension at all its amazing how much the tires alone absorb most of the obstacles.

We should have a lot of great fall rides , I cant wait to get on the trails with the G-man .

Solo ride Holdridge MBT Holly MI. 10/13/11

Today I did a solo ride at Holdridge with out the G man. This morning it looked like rain so I was not sure if I would be able to get a ride in. By the time i got back from taking Grant to school the sun started to peek through the clouds so I said to my self I am going to go for it. I thought that I would try to get hopefully at least one more color ride in this fall the leaves have turned and are falling very fast.

At the trail I felt really good and decided to do the whole West Loop Which is 6 miles it is rated beginner to intermediate. Grant and I have always done the North loop before. So off I went I got the first mile in and It started to get pretty technical thats not to bad in its self but last night we got a little rain and the trails were covered in damp leaves which makes the roots of the trees and the rocks on the trails hard to see the damp leaves made cornering hazardous . My bike is a hard tail with no front suspension so it was very slow going I said to my self what have i gotten my self in to.

It did smooth out after I got into my grove, and I had a good ride besides any time I am out on my bike is a good day , but I must say I did miss my best buddy the G man .

Our first cycling clubs meeting and ride

Sunday was our clubs first mee ting and ride. I think we had a pretty good turn out there were about 15 riders at the meeting. There were a lot of experienced riders as well as beginners Grant is the youngest rider. The meeting went well with some very good questions , we discussed what the members wanted in a club and what type of rides do we want. Sad to say we will not meet again until spring.

After the meeting we did go on a short ride, We were limited do to time. The ride was to one of Grand Blanc's hidden jewels , Grant was excited to find out what the jewel was, he kept asking if it was a treasure and were was it. After quite a few "are we there yets" we reached the treasure it was the Grand Blanc historical museum at first I thought Grant was going to be bored but much to my disbelief he was the one to keep the tour guides on their toes with many questions . He learned how to use an antique typewriter, and he got to play a player Piano that was almost 100 years old. He very much liked it and did not want to leave.

It was a very nice day and nice ride.

Ride # 9 loop around Genesys Hospital

Today after school we decided to finish the ride we started last night that was cut short because of darkness. Today was a beautiful fall day you could call it an indian summer day here in Michigan, it was in the mid 70's full sunshine. The ride was beautiful . Our pit stop is just another reason to leave the car at home. He spent some time chasing a frog around the water fall.

Some videos below

Night ride at the gym

Tonight we went on a night ride around the bike paths at the athletic club we belong to. The distance around the whole set of paths is 5 K. We lasted about 3/4 of the way around.It started to get pretty dark quick there were a lot trails that went through the woods making it hard to see.

Before it got dark we did see some wild life we saw a large crane landing in one of the ponds on our route we also saw a very large musk rat Grant thought it was a beaver.

Today was a beautiful fall day the temp was in the mid 70's with bright sunshine.

Grants (The second half of Biped-alist) Bike

His Bike is a Trek MTB 2200 21 speed. He loves it we had thought about a 20" but they had so many limits. With this bike he can keep you with adults and faster riders. He has just started to use and learn the gear range. With the frame design he should be able to ride this bike into his teens.

We highly recommend this bike.

My Bikes

This is my main commuter bike it is a 1990 Nishiki Manitoba with up graded shimano parts over the years with 1.5 inch street tires at a 100psi. helps with road friction. The mileage is unknown. The first bike i started my touring on was a Nishiki International that was 1979 it was a tour of lake Michigan around the lake it was a two week trip.

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The matriarch of the fleet my vintage 1980 Bianchi Campione D'italia I bought it brand new. Its real steel columbus Sl tubing full Campy record and Super record. The mileage is all so unknown back then for me the miles were not important we just spent time on our bikes. wow what memories.