Did I ever tell you about the time... - Sycamore Canyon, CA

...I rented a car in Providence, RI and drove out to Oxnard/Port Hueneme, CA for the working group meetings I typically attend?  Well here's the RI car I rented (one way) and the sweet Specialized 29er I rode while there. 

 

The road trip, which I always wanted to try, took about four 12 hour days of driving. Didn't really get to stop and sight-see since I was on a tight schedule, leaving on a Friday to make a Tuesday meeting. But the Rockies and endless deserts were quite amazing! Next time I pull this off I'm definitely going to stop for riding.

Day one ride at Sycamore with Tim, Scott, and some random Brazilian guy that decided to join us, resulted in close to 14 miles and perfect 70 degree dry weather. The area was actually green for this time of year which was nice to see. The snake, assumed the rattling kind, seemed to like it too!

Do you think this post was total shit?  Well it was only mostly shit...the riding was true the driving was poo (but wasn't it so cool that I rented a car in LA that had RI plates...and didn't even realize it right away!!).

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Fox on a Rock - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Did this 5.5 mile ride with Jesse Dog.  He got muddy and smelly.  Hmmm...I guess I did too.  Oh and we saw a fox on a rock. Well, I saw him anyway...and it was more like a boulder.  We stared each other down until he turned and ran.  Glad Jesse did not see him...he would have given chase!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"F this" - Big River, RI

Buzzed over to Big River after work only to find raindrops.  Not so bad right?  So about a mile in I see a flash of lightning and hear a whack of thunder...hmmmm... maybe I should have checked the weather before heading out today.  Alright, better late than never...pulled up the weather map on the dingle(crack)berry and sure enough...I was smack in the middle of it.  So down comes the rain.  Well maybe that was just a single freak lightning bolt.  I jumped into one of the hidden trails.  Thing about the hidden trails is that you are supposed to walk your bike across the log and stick covered entrance, you know, to keep the trailhead hidden.  Well it's raining, I'm riding....2 or 3 slippery logsticks took me down pretty fast (I think Gengler set a trap for people like me).  Anyway...that still didn't deter me.  About 2 miles out, my right foot slipped out of clip and of course my left foot cranked back full speed...smacking the right pedal against my knee. Son of a...  Ok that, and 4 more giant thunder cracks, I'm sprinting the last mile back to my truck.  Going to take a week to dry my driver's seat.  Good times.

Crappy Trails,
OMMB

"Slow and Steady" - Big River, RI

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
- Riders: OMMB & FFFL (fur faced four legs)
- Miles: 8
- Weather: Sunny and Summer like
- Temp: 75
- Trail Conditions: some mud puddles, the usual

Notes: Nice day today.  Poor dog had to run for 8 miles in pretty warm conditions for this time of year.  He still hasn't taken off his winter coat, so plopped in every mud puddle and stream he could find.  A lot of heavy breathing today...from the dog and me!  Felt a bit sluggish, mostly due to recent time off and maybe the warm temps (I haven't shed my winter coat either).

Tidbits: Jesse invited some other dog to join him in my truck cab.  Luckily that dog wasn't muddy too. What's he thinking, Big River is some kind of dog pick up joint???

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Just a preview..."

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Speechless...

ya mon...click on

"I'll never give up, never give up...no way!" - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Just a rock climbing squirrel chasing dog!

- Trailhead: Case Jr High
- Miles: 5.6
- Weather: rain
- Temp: 50

Notes: Wanted to get a ride in before the heavy rain showed up.  So took Coyote Jesse out in the light rain.  Aside from a stop at every mud and water hole, we had a great run/ride.  Although, I don't know how many squirrels it's going to take before Jesse realizes no matter how hard he tries, he's not going to catch them (kind of like me riding with Team Bikeworks, I just ain't gonna catch those guys no matter how many times I try!).

Tidbits:  There are birthdays among us... 



NINE!

 


FIVE!

ONE!

...ZOINKS!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Official start of SMGR" - 4/10/11 - Big River, RI

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd

- Riders: T, OMMB, and a dog

- Miles: 7

- Weather: nice enough

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: well there was a whoops that nobody saw...involving a branch in the spokes and a sudden stop to a flop by OMMB 

Notes: Yep.  I say it qualifies for a Sunday Morning Group Ride.  So feel free to join in...whenever.  Teri's very first ride this year featured too many miles thanks to OMMB.  She did well, sprained ankle and all.  I do believe that, in the end, she enjoyed the ride.

Tidbits: We found "Coaster" and Teri liked it so much...who rode it twice!  Also found a cemetery previously unbeknownst to me.

[Route Map]

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Just a ride" - 4/08/11 - Swansea, MA

Had a good strong ride with Jesse Dog today, very little rest time (his endurance seems to be growing)!

"Troll without a bridge" - 4/7/11 - Mt Hope Farm - Bristol, RI

- Trailhead: Public access to Mt Hope Farm off Metacom Ave
- Walkers: Teri, Jesse, OMMB
- Miles: almost 3

Notes: Great place to walk and enjoy the scenery. Just beware of the old troll near the top of Mt Hope. He lives in a huge mansion-like house and even though there are no signs indicating "private property" when entering from Mt Hope Farm, he will use choice words to convince you that there are signs! The troll has a foul mouth and a mean disposition.  When you yell back at him with your own choice words, he yells "WHAT?" so you get to repeat your choice words even louder.  Apparently his hearing is diminished, most likely due to the shit in his head!



Google's Mountain Troll...perfect!



Tidbits: We found where King Philip was killed in Miery Swamp (betrayed by an Indian named John Alderman).  Yeah, you ask...what the hell kind of Indian name is that?  A white-man influenced back stabbing Indian name is the answer.  We were attempting to cross the summit of Mt Hope to see King Philip's Chair, a place he would meet with his tribe, now on the Brown University's Haffenreffer Museum property, but the shit headed troll put an end to that. 

Click on for more...

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip's_War]

[The Route]

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Magic Carpet Ride" - Big River - RI



Here's the "Ken" trail, and yes I rode "Barbie" too (the trail)

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
- Riders: OMMB
- Miles: 8
- Temp: 40-ish
- Trail Conditions: real nice newly cleaned single track

Notes: Looks like Gengler the Trail Yoda and/or NEMBA have been cleaning up some of the "hidden trails"...they were in excellent condition (like riding on a newly vacuumed carpet)!  I can see why they keep the trailheads hidden, there was a big difference between these trails and the "not so hidden" trails due to an apparent motorcycle race.  Just a mess.  Many thanks to whoever maintains the hiddens! 

Tidbits: OH BOY (or GIRL) do I have a Tidbit!!! 

Happy Trails,
OMMB



Cool snake like bridges!  Didn't try them (yet)



"Still no Spring green" - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: Colt Jr High
- Riders: OMMB and his fearless four legged friend
- Miles: 5.5
- Weather: clear
- Temp: all the way up to my age
- Trail Conditions: sloppy soft, not as much mud and water as last year, but wet from snow and rain
- Wildlife: Just Jack.  (Lucky is a Jack Russell Terror-er that bites rider's ankles and larger dogs...she may not be around long if she bites the wrong dog...just sayin).  Jesse was indifferent about the harassment, Lucky eventually calmed down.
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: one whoops...

• Situation: on a slight incline, rode too close to a stump
• Issue: left foot is stuck between crank-arm and stump
• Synopsis: slow long flop over to the left onto branch infested log that was once joined to stump
• Result: two very choice swears, as a branch jams into left side
• Corrective Action: clamber off log and bike, yell some more swears, straighten seat
• Lessons Learned: increase situational awareness, don't ride too close to stumps

Notes: Slipped slopped looped half the outer loop on the other side of the power lines.  Seemed pretty sloppy on the bike today, maybe due to the soft trail or just trying to push the pace.  I keep thinking that Spring is here and all the drab foliage will soon be green again...but no sign of it. humph.

Tidbits: The outdoor shower is now OPEN and ready for business...now all we need is some muddy riders!  HELLLLOOO????

Happy Trails,

OMMB

PS - Jesse seems fine after breaking his leg yesterday...funny how that stuff always happens on April Fool's Day! 

"Night Time is the Right Time...for Friends " - 3/29/11 - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: Library
- Riders: Jesse, OMMB
- Miles: 4.5
- Weather: dark
- Temp: 40
- Trail Conditions: good
- Wildlife: nothing...actually TOO quiet

Notes: Since I failed to get out of work early enough to ride today, I took Jesse Dog out after dinner.  I wasn't sure how well he would see the trail at night, but he ran like there was no issue at all.  He did tend to run ahead of me more than usual, I'm guessing he was attempting to stay in the light.  The trail always seems so different at night, but it was good to know a four legged friend was close by.  There's nothing freakier than riding through the dark, quiet, woods alone.  Having company with similar size and shape of the biggest predators in the area was comforting. There is a big difference between us though, besides shitting in the woods when it really isn't an emergency, he'll head towards a noise in the woods where I do my best to get the hell out of there!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Standard Loop" - 3/27/11 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: Colt Jr High
- Riders: OMMB & Jesse Dog
- Miles: 4.5
- Weather: clear & cool
- Temp: 45
- Trail Conditions: decent, very little mud
- Wildlife: spotted a hawk flying below the tree line

Notes: Back on the trail after one week hiatus in San Diego. Took Jesse along for the ride (run) and had a good break-in ride on a typical Swansea loop.   Looking forward to more rides this week...

Tidbits: Someone has built a nice plank bridge over one of the swamp crossings. Previous option was a line of rocks.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Last ride of the Winter" - 3/19/11 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Notes: Went for a midday ride around Swansea. Weather was pleasant, cool and dry.  The trails, although still littered with sticks and logs, were in good shape.  I'm sure in a few weeks they'll be back to the well worn hard packed single-track we had before Winter's ravaging.   GPS track got a little messed up, but about 5 miles were logged.

Happy Spring,
OMMB

Here's some fine sh*t...

...check out this Red Bull footage from Brazil;


VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

"Back to the River that keeps getting Bigger" - Green Day 2011 - Big River, RI

- Trailhead: Exit 6 / Rte 3 Burnt Sawmill dirt road
- Riders: OMMB
- Miles: 7
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 62
- Trail Conditions: a little soft, mostly dry.  One large water crossing (remember Chris' Blood Points from the naily bridge...that's the crossing)







Notes: Well I assumed I was in Rhode Island when I entered the trail, I did notice the temp was at least 62, I'm pretty sure it was St. Paddy's Day, and I know it rained all day yesterday, but what I did NOT expect was snow on the trail!  Wasn't bad, just small sections, but still surprising!



Some green, but no Shamrocks here!

This route is one of my favorite singletracks recently introduced on a Bikeworks ride, but I actually took a turn that landed me in an area that I had never seen before. Crazy that there are still areas of BR that I haven't touched. This was on the North side of Sweet Pond (see map below), which seemed to be at a lower water level due to a natural damn break.  Pictures of the resulting stream can be seen in the slide show below.

Saw some strange sights...

Here's something that could be used to distill Irish Whiskey!

Wasn't sure what to make of this one...

Here's where you end up after too much Irish Whiskey...

The slideshow:




The route:



Tidbits: NEMBA Pete said the Peepers are here...they are.  Spring is VERY close.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Four legs are better than two!" - 3/15/11 - Village Park - Swansea, MA



"Woof!" from the summit of Village Park!

- Trailhead: Library
- Riders: Jesse and 2-wheeled OMMB
- Miles: 6.5
- Weather: clear & crispy
- Temp: 38
- Wildlife: Squirrels, YAY squirrels!
- Trail Conditions: Some water, some mud...it was the best!

Notes: My new owner decided to make me run for over 6 1/2 miles while he rode his stupid bike. Although I had a LOT of fun and freedom, I was pretty tired afterwards.  I was a little overheated but OMMB gave me water from a bottle and I was able to find some nice mud holes and streams along the trail.  I also spotted squirrels that I wanted to chase, but I was too worn out.  Next time we come here, I hope OMMB leaves his bike at home and uses his two legs (hahaha...he only has TWO legs...hahaha).




This is what you do when the temp is 38 degrees and you are part Alaskan Husky!




aaaa so nice...two streams in one day!



Tidbits: A hiker on the trail was nice to me. He found a bike tool set. OMMB contacted Bikeworks but nobody claimed it.  The hiker will keep it in his truck for now.

Happy Trails,
Jesse Dog

"See a Seal" - 3/15/11 (Part 2) - Rome Point - North Kingston, RI

Thing 1

Thing 2

- Trailhead: Boston Neck Road
- Hikers: Cara and Joshua, Teri and Steve, Shiloh and Jesse
- Miles: 3-ish
- Weather: Clear
- Temp: 45-50
- Trail Conditions: Real smooth, very little mud/water
- Wildlife: At the furthest end of the point, Harbor Seals can be seen on the rocks about 1/2 mile out.  And oh dear a dead deer.

Notes: As suggested, we planned a hike two hours before low tide for best viewing of the seals.  Note that you should bring binoculars or telescopes to actually "see" the seals. They are a lot further off from shore than I had expected.  Regardless, the park is well worth the visit.  Several miles of double and single track to roam.  I will be taking the bike here to scope out some more trails...could be a great place to ride when conditions are not good elsewhere.

Tidbits: Seals in RI...click on


See the seals?

 

The end of a GREAT day!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

PS-was supposed to be posting this from San Diego...trip was postponed!

"Yay Mud!" - 3/15/11 (Part 1) - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: Library
- Riders/Runners: OMMB & Jesse Dog
- Miles: 5 and a bit
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 45
- Trail Conditions: typical pre-Spring conditions, some mud, some water crossings, all ride-able

Notes: First trail ride with Jesse tagging along.  He did awesome running for 5 miles and stayed right behind the bike for the most part (never ran off).  He did let out a couple of barks to warn me of a trail runner coming up behind us.  No wise-ass comments please...the trail runner only caught up to us during a break!  And we ran into one of the Bikeworks gang, Eric, who also opted out of the group road ride this morning.  Go trails!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Trail Dog!!!

"Oh look, no snow" - 3/08/11 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: Bikeworks to Colt Jr High
- Riders: Bob, Matt, Steve
- Miles: 9.3
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 27
- Trail Conditions: good, frozen hard-pack



Notes: With temps back down in the twenties, Bob and Matt opted for the trails versus a road ride (cloud over OMMB's head said "yeah").  I did expect some mud from yesterday's rainstorm, but the trails were able to freeze overnight. Really enjoyed the loops we rode, seemed liked I hadn't been here in a while.  But I felt like my pace was off (the other cloud over my head wondered if I had forgotten to check my tire pressure!).  Thankfully the speedy duo stopped occasionally to clear branches from the trail, so I was able to somewhat keep up.

Tidbits: Hey you know those large mounds of dirt over the tombs in cemeteries...they make for a fun up-and-over.  Just sayin.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Over the River and Through the...River" - 3/6/11 - Dartmouth, MA

Went for a little hike with Mom, Teri, and four leggers Cody and Jesse.  The 2.5 mile hike was mostly muddy and wet. In fact, the route seemed more like a river than a trail.  That didn't stop the four legged hikers from running full speed through the water with an occasional belly flop into the deeper puddles. Silly dogs. Would be good to carve out some biking trails back here when things dry out. Plenty of old logging trails and active motorcycle routes used extensively when I was a teen.  Oh by the way...temps neared 60 degrees today.  Come on Spring! 

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Hopeless Trail Junkie" - 3/5/11 - Swansea and Rehoboth, MA

- "Trail"head: Bikeworks, Swansea, MA
- Riders: OMMB and about 14 others
- Miles: 27.4
- Weather: cloudy/damp
- Temp: 45
- "Trail" Conditions: blacktop with some sand and slush crossings

Notes: In case you haven't figured it out yet, wait, hold your breath, yes...OMMB hit the road with the street gang from Bikeworks today.  Something I hadn't done in roughly 12 years.  I followed the group that took the shorter route back and secured a second to last finish (the quality of riders with Bikeworks never ceases to amaze me!).  So what prompted this fall from trail grace?  Bottom line, the local conditions have been crap.  Got to admit that riding the road sure beats peddling on a trainer in the shed. But my heart still lies with the trails. Bikeworks gang set me up with a borrowed road bike, which was truly awesome and I'm extremely appreciative.  Even though the constant pace of road riding has a huge benefit over trails, I'm just not hooked on it.  Another plus is the camaraderie amongst the riders in the group, which is quite entertaining.  This of course is only true if you are strong enough to stay on the rear wheel of most of the riders.  Because when you fall behind, fighting the wind on your own, road biking can be one of the lonliest activities imaginable. 

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Cape No-Snow" - 3/3/11 - Crane/Otis AFB - Falmouth, MA

- Trailhead: Rte 151 east of Rte 28, over the small dirt mound on the left
- Riders: Matt, OMMB
- Miles: 7
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 19, but really didn't feel that bad
- Trail Conditions: near perfect, very few ice sheets, not a deterrence
- Technical Level: intermediate
- Wildlife: got a glimpse of a large hawk (or maybe an eagle?)
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: nope, clean ride

Notes: Jones-in for an ice-less, snow-less trail, I joined Matt for a trip to Cape Cod.  The drive was a breeze with no summer traffic.  We were on the trail before 9:00.  The loop Matt planned was awesome on any day.  Although I'm sure I slowed his pace on the big one speed 29er (the guy can fly), I think we both had a great ride.
 
Tidbits: Matt tells me that Otis is an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle (who knew?).  Also, one time when he was riding here the Obama's, in their family vacation station wagon (aka Airforce One) took off from Otis.  Rumbled the forest.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Skating Away" - 3/2/11 - Massasoit State Park - Taunton, MA

- Trailhead: parking lot
- Riders: Matt, OMMB, 2-guys, and Pedro (the Portuguese hunting dog)
- Miles: 5 and then some
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 36
- Trail Conditions: ice
- Technical Level: off the chart
- Wildlife: nope...just Pedro
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:  1) One of the 2-guys slipped while walking his bike, landed flat on his back onto his bike...ouch.  And that was BEFORE we even got on the trail!  2) Matt stopped at a 4 foot high log hop.  I tried to take the route through the woods around the log...graceful flop (where's the soft snow when you really need it?).

Notes: We hoped to find some clear trails but they were a mess with ice.  2-guys bailed after 15 minutes, Pedro didn't see the issue.  Matt and I pressed on.  We managed to find a clear loop and scraped out a few miles by looping.  Maybe the forecast 60 degrees for Sunday will melt the rest of the ice...or wait until June!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Snow line in the Hometown" - 3/1/11 - Destruction Brook Woods - Dartmouth, MA

- Trailhead: Slades Corner Road Parking Lot
- Riders: OMMB
- Miles: 6
- Weather: cloudy then cleared
- Temp: 32
- Trail Conditions: smooth as ice
- Technical Level: novice
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: just lots of thoughts of slipping, could have used studded tires (and golf shoes)



Notes:  I normally shy away from any trail with "Destruction", "Jaws", "Ripcord", or "Blood-Curdling Scream" in it's name, but this place is a piece of cake.  Very "novice" as far as trail riding goes.  Actually not sure how it got it's name, maybe it was a way to keep the native Indians away?  Anyway...  although the trails were well maintained, fast, and very easy to ride, the mostly ice conditions made for plenty of hike (skate)-a-bike.  I was hoping that any place south of the current "virtual" snow line would be clear to ride (Snow coverage map - hit the snowflake and zoom in).  But not the case in "reality" world (maybe I need to find an "ice coverage" map).  Any trails north of Ella's Bridge were mostly covered with snow and hard packed ice.  South was much less snow with occasional ice across the trails...ride-able.  "Happy Valley" was indeed nice enough to make a hibernating mountain biker "happy" for a short while.  Going to keep this place on the list for any fresh snow conditions...and Spring riding! 

Tidbits: I grew up only a few miles from here on Horseneck Road.  Davol's General Store, where my mother would buy us (my brother and I) Matchbox cars, is still there!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Trail Conditions...and a little ride - 26 Feb 11

Had intentions (hopes) of riding some trail this weekend, since the recent rain storm melted most of the snow. 

Reports I got were not good...

Swansea - impossible
Big River - not worth the bother

If you want to drive further away...

Burlingame (RI) - 70% ride-able
Otis Air Force Base (Cape Cod) - good conditions


...so Teri and I hit the bike path for a few miles.  View Online | Trip Map | Elevation Profile

Think Spring...but for now continue to prepare for Winter riding.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"They're baaa-aack" - 2/15/11 - Massasoit State Park - Taunton, MA

- Riders: Bob, Matt, OMMB
- Miles: 9
- Weather: windy, clear
- Temp: 29 (colder windchill)
- Trail Conditions: hardpack snow / ice
- Technical Level: see trail conditions above (then you decide); actually really not too bad
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:  a Whoops slide out and a Yikes endo by Bob;  also a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee slide across the ice for OMMB.

Notes: Although the wind made the temp feel colder than actual, we had a great ride.  Last Saturday, Matt and company found that the trails were packed down by hikers and snowmobiles; very ride-able.  After riding a few hundred feet, gingerly not knowing how the bike would react on the hardpack, it was indeed found to be very manageable.  Although the single track, trodden down by hikers, made for a shock and vibration test ride.  Kind of tricky because if you happened to drift off the track, you found yourself in 15 inches of snow.  Ask Bob, he buried his front wheel resulting in an endo into the snow!  Unfortunately no one got to see it...all we heard was "ooooooooooooooooooooooooo" then some laughing.  Good times.  The double track packed by the snowmobiles was VERY manageable.  Really almost like riding on tar...but watch out for ice patches!  I tried to ride across a large stretch of ice and ended up sliding into home plate for about 20 feet, bike and all.  Really had a blast...it was good to be outside. Much more fun than the "rides to nowhere" in my shed on the old wind trainer.

Tidbits:  Bikeworks now carries Kona...go check -em out.  You may also want to consider studded tires for this type of ride.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Friday = Skiday" - 2/4/11 - Sunapee Mtn - New Hampshire

Ever wonder how many miles are covered when skiing/snowboarding?  Me too.  Here's a day I spent at Sunapee Mtn with Sadie...Click On

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Went for a ride...first post-storm attempt" - 1/16/11 - Warren, RI

 http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/995335

"Calm before the storm" - one/eleven/eleven - Swansea, MA

Went for a little 4.5 mile ride through the snow this morning with Al, Bob, and Matt. The temp was 16 degrees, but since it was so calm out, it didn't feel much lower than...oh...17 degrees.  Most of the trails were packed down enough to get a good pace going.  Riding a hardtail, I got rattled from the frozen footprints.  Just a bit tricky keeping a good line but all in all, a good ride.
Tidbit:  Some monster of a storm is heading our way...forecasting upwards of 17 inches of snow in some areas.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"to the snow to the slush to the ice" - 1/4/11 - Swansea, MA

- Miles: 3.5
- Weather: cloudy
- Temp: 35-40ish
- Trail Conditions: mostly packed snow and ice
- Technical Level: a bit tricky

Notes: Thought I'd give Swansea a try during my telework lunch break.  Most of the snow around here has melted...and of course refroze (snow to slush to ice).  Nevertheless, figured I had a good chance of catching some actual trail.  Got to admit...it was TOUGH going, but there was good exposed trail and the areas trodden by walkers actually made it ride-able. I rode at the blazing speed of 20 minutes per mile!  The inner loops, now marked by fancy new wooden arrow signs, were in better condition (easy access for walkers) than the outer loops where the snow was deeper.

Tidbits: I suspect that some bikers that were bored due to the snow, decided that building wooden markers for the trails, would be a good thing to do during the "stand down".  Gotta love it.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Slushy Snowy Tar" - one/one/eleven - East Bay Bike Path - RI

- Weather: clear/sunny
- Temp: 45+

Notes: Out to redo the 8.3 mile ride from the other day but conditions on the bike path have become slushy with the warmer temps.  Made it real tough to stay on the hardpack.  I initially tried to ride on 30 psi in the tires but that wasn't low enough.  Rode on almost flat tires just to stay on a straight course...I'm guessing around 10-15 psi did the trick.

Tidbits:  So I tried my newly acquired mobile phone app that automatically posts my GPS trip data to Trimble Outdoors website.  Here's the data the app captured... the link brings you to the map.  Should work well for future trail rides.

Date: 1 Jan 2011 10:03:38 AM
Activity: Mountain Biking
State: Rhode Island (RI)
Distance: 4.77 mi
Active: 4.67 mi
Average Speed: Overall: 5.4 mph - 0:11:12/mi
Active: 6.5 mph - 0:09:11/mi
Duration: 0:53:24
Active: 0:42:57
Resting: 0:10:27
Tags: Warren, Rhode Island

http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=984692&utm_source=emailtrip&utm_medium=email

Happy New Year Trails,
OMMB

"Snowy Tar" - 12/30/10 - East Bay Bike Path - RI

- Miles: 8.3
- Weather: Clear
- Temp: 30

Notes: After a week of holiday festivities, it was time to get out for a ride...no matter what!   Since riding trails was impossible the other day, I went for the bike path.  The snow was trodden down to hard pack and with tire pressure real low (20 psi or less), I was able to ride along at a decent pace.  Took the loop around Colt State Park where the road was down to tar (but that was a chore on almost flat tires).

Happy Trails,
OMMB