Stick this Irene! - Big River - RI

• Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 6.25
• Weather: clear, another Summer-like Fall day!
• Temp: 75
• Trail Conditions: surprisingly good
• Wildlife: a chipmunk, a toad 
• GPS Track:   

Notes: First time back to The Big since The Big (wanna-be) Hurricane Irene came to town.  I was shocked, pleasantly, to find very good trail conditions, about the same as I would expect for the Fall season.  Plenty of sticks along the hidden single track but no disastrous tree falls.  Well, other than the one pictured below.  This tree uprooted right where the bridge previously crossed the stream (it was nicely relocated).  This was really the only carnage I came across. I was told by a fellow rider that trail crews were out the day after Irene hit...now that's dedication!

Tidbits: Hunting season starts tomorrow.  Orange up!

Trail and bridge were to the right, now left.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Mountain Biking 28 Sep - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Case Jr High
• Riders: OMMB and the dog Jesse
• Miles: 5.25 (although I seriously suspect the accuracy of my GPS app today)
• Weather: nice, should be the last of this Indian Summer
• Temp: 65
• Trail Conditions: very good
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: clean ride...of course it's more fun to crash when someone goes riding with you! 
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripID=1340070&cacheBuster=0.40418139591210666

Tidbits: GO SOX!

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Sprint Swansea Salad Sushi Steak Sunday

• Trailhead: Swansea Library
• Riders: OMMB, Jesse 
• Miles: three and a three quarters
• Weather: humid, 192%
• Temp: not September like
• Trail Conditions: a little wet from recent rain 

Notes: Quick ride in Swansea, Jesse started out like he was out for revenge for last time...but ended up pretty damn winded!  Then home for SSS dinner.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Who's bike is this anyway? - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: library
• Riders: OMMB and JD
• Miles: 4.5
• Weather: clear
• Temp: 70
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1328904

Notes: Had a nice quick ride again...starting to wonder if someone swapped my bike with a faster one. I even wore out Jesse four legs.  Not sure what adjustments I made recently, because I made a few tweaks, but I like it.  Of course, this will all change the first time I ride with the Bikework's high flyers.  

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Quick Four - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Library
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 4
• Weather: dreary overcast, light rain 
• Temp: 66
• Wildlife: a young little deer near the trailhead, then two larger ones in the woods 
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=1327769&cacheBuster=0.5817617654576955

Notes: Wanted to get a quick ride in so I followed last year's time trial route.  Felt good, felt fast...and I have no idea why.  Unfortuantely my GPS software flaked out so I don't have a precise time (I'm awaiting a software update)...but I think my time was within 5 minutes of my previous trial time.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Thanks Irene - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Case Jr High
• Riders: OMMB, JD
• Miles: 5
• Weather: clear and cool
• Temp: 60
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1323569

Notes: I heard that there were some new trails cleared on the other side of the power lines.  I followed some quad tracks but only ended up on the usual single track loop out there. The trails were actually still a mess from the wanna-be hurricane and there were a lot of large trees down.  For the most part, none crossed the trail, but I got to a point where turning around was the only option.  Gee thanks Irene.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Barometric Balance - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Case Jr High
• Riders: OMMB and the Dog Jesse 
• Miles: 5.5
• Weather: Dry and cool
• Temp: 50 
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1321662

Notes:  Very cool morning but great for riding. I felt quick and experienced no bike control issues as I did the other day.  Ran into a fellow rider and we talked about the recent humidity...he claimed the barometric pressure can throw off your balance.  Well...who knew?   Now I have a bonafide excuse (when needed).



Wet Wolf



Happy Trails,

OMMB

Mountain Biking 13 Sep - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Case Jr High
• Riders: OMMB Huffin and Jesse Puffin
• Miles: 4.72
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1315703

Notes: Tried some new single track along the route. They were still soft like all new trails, but I'm sure they'll be packed down in no time. So I have to wonder...who thought it was a good idea to blaze a new trail over a rock with a 6 foot drop off?  Good times.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Piss and Vinegar - Village Park - Swansea, MA

• Trailhead: Case Jr High
• Riders: OMMB and JD
• Miles: 4.5
• Weather: nice, cooler and dry
• Temp: 61
• Trail Conditions: perfect thanks to Bikeworks, no thanks to Irene
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: One whoops off a wooden beam, bike went right and I went left. Balance skills were a little "off" today. Thankfully Jesse doubled back to check on me...too funny!
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripID=1311562

Notes: So Jesse was "full of piss and vinegar"!  Have you ever wondered where that term came from?  Did someone actually drink P & V and start running around like a madman?  Something to ponder.  Well I guess because I haven't taken Jesse out for a ride run in two weeks or more, he was crazy with energy.  He just bolted ahead on the trail and dashed through the woods chasing who knows what!  This lasted for about 20 minutes until he settled down to our normal pace next to my bike.  Bikeworks did a great job cleaning up after that bitch came to town.  I even spotted some new singletrack that I need to check out.  I was too busy getting back into rythm to try it today...next time!

Tidbits:

- I read several theories as to the origin of P & V.  This one makes the most sense to me... Sailors who had had plenty to drink were in this condition. The vinegar may refer to the acidic form that cheap alcohol adopts when drunk, or it may be the vinegar that sailors drank to ward off scurvy.  ...so I'll assume the "piss" part of the phrase refers to the result of drinking too much "vinegar".

- Clear weather ahead...and a full moon.  I'm thinking of throwing a night ride or two in the mix this week.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Oh yeah, another ride in NH - Great Glen Trails - Gorham, NH

• Trailhead: Pinkham Notch, base of Mt Washington Auto Road
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: bout 9
• Weather: humid
• Temp: 70
• Trail Conditions: mostly smooooooth double track 
• Technical Level: beginner
• Wildlife: just moose prints and bear poops
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: I did a couple flop overs, my pedal clips were "rusty"
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1300105

Notes: Almost forgot about this ride...maybe because it was quite uneventful. I've been eyeing up this place for a while, since I heard they host the "24 hours of Great Glen Race".  Well even though it was paid access, eight bucks, it was by no means as vast a single track mountain bike mecca like Vermont's Kingdom Trails.  Big disappointment for OMMB.  Yet, a ride is a ride.  The trails are predominately smooth double track...about 5 or 10 percent single track (at least on the Mt Washington side, I can't speak for the Outdoor Center side).  There are some hills, yet a very good place for a beginner introduction to mountain biking.  Just remember, it's NOT an accurate representation of what New England single track is all about.

Tidbits: if you want unlimited single track riding...don't go here!  Some nice scenery for a leisurely ride.  And note the snowshoe trails on the map, NOT for riding, I found that out the hard way...horrible (I thought I was going to be eaten!

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Some pix...

Moose tracks...like the ice cream.



Bear poop...not an ice cream.





Rare single track.





Nice backwoods campsite...need to mark the map.





Whitaker Woo Woo Woods - North Conway, NH

 

• Trailhead: Whitaker Meeting House, Rte 16
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 7 and 3/4
• Weather: humid
• Temp: 70
• Trail Conditions: very good
• Technical Level: novice to intermediate
• Wildlife: just some bear poop
• GPS Track...

Notes: First time back to Whitaker in a few years.  This area is directly across the street from our timeshare "cottage".  The trails were in much better condition and appeared well used, an indication that MTB popularity could be rising in the area.  My daylight was limited so I only covered some of the perimeter, but there's plenty of trails here for a full fledged ride.  I did spend some time doubling back for the map I dropped along the way...stop laughing...even Magellan needed some sort of map!  With the map, I still managed to overshoot the trail I needed to find the hospital fitness trail, which was to lead me to the trail along Saco River.  After some unsuccessful scouting, I had to hop out to the road and cross Rte 16 to get back on track.  Saco was flowing quite high, thanks Irene, and the water was not the usual crystal clear.  All in all a good ride...much more here to investigate.

Tidbits: Bears have big poops. BUT I have a Bear Bell on my handlebars (doesn't that give you a nice secure feeling?)

Happy Trails,

OMMB