Uneven Seating

Ended up just being me heading out to Cromwell for Blow Hole State Park instead of a group ride at Penwood. Blow Hole State Park is pretty cool, but a real short ride. There aren't a lot of trail obstacles, and the downhill sections are fast but not steep, except for a few places at the edge of the ridge. The trail is pretty hairy near the edge of the ridge, as some trees on the border of the trail threaten to knock you off down the hill if you aren't careful.

On the downside though, the trails aren't marked at all, making it difficult to translate the map at the parking lot to a mental image. I ended up on some alternative trail entrances from residential areas that I rather would've avoided - though one of them provided some fast downhill thrills on the way back to the main trail. Also, the Park is buggy. Extremely buggy. I ignored the warnings from MTBR / NEMBA and I'm wishing I'd brought spray.

My ride was cut short when the saddle came loose, much like the time at the Reservoir. This time, however, I forgot to bring my multi-tool. I assumed I would not need it and so left it in the bag of my road bike. Learned a lesson there.

Two other bikers told me about two other State Parks on Route 99 in Rocky Hill, near the ferry, which I'll check out when I have a chance. With the saddle issue and the heat, I wasn't in the mood to keep riding.

Heading to Blow Hole State Park (River Highlands (Cromwell Creek)) after work today. Supposedly an easy, dry, flat ride, but I'm scouting it for later opportunities to introduce trail riding to beginners. That and it's still pretty hot out.

Hot Times in the Old Town

Wanting to fit in some exercise even on the scorcher that was Sunday the 4th, but not having the desire to get drenched up at the Reservoir or Penwood, I took the Haro downtown with the goal of riding on the Riverfront trail.

Traffic was sparse, it being the holiday and all, with the exception of Market Street as Cirque du Soleil's tent was right in the parking lot of the pedestrian overpass to the park. After a joke with a parking attendant about a bike discount, I crossed over I-91.

The park trail was surprisingly dry, although I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, given that the last rain was a week ago and the soil there is very fine and silty. Ten minutes into the trail, I took a tumble when I failed to identify a thick pit of sand. Too much weight on the front wheel plus a turn while pedaling caused the front wheel to slip and over-rotate, dumping me into the sand in the process. Since it was sand, I didn't suffer any damage, but gained a healthy respect for the conditions. The rest of the ride was pretty tame, with the only obstacle being a friendly pit bull.

I wasn't quite ready to head home after the trail, so I tooled around the park a bit and then headed up to Adriaen's Landing. After a short detour to the East Hartford side, I decided to take advantage of the low traffic and did some exploring downtown, checking out the new (but incomplete) walkway around the Science Center that will eventually lead up to the Convention Center as well. I usually dip over to the Hartford Club pedestrian ramp to access the streets, but that was closed off for construction. I rode over to the Front Street retail development across from the Convention Center, and then through Bushnell Park. I heard the tinny echoes of a bullhorn up by the Capitol Building and, sure enough, a bike cop confirmed my suspicions - a Tea Party Rally. I was pleased to see he was as annoyed as I was, and thankfully their turnout wasn't anything to write home about.

The ride around downtown also afforded me the opportunity to run some errands. I could really get used to the whole bike lifestyle, I tells ya.

Fortune Favors the Bald... I Mean Bold

After being a friggin' pansy for a whole month, I took to the outer ridge trail at the Reservoir on the Haro. The previous outings, I had passed up that difficult (to me, at least) route in favor of some tame fire roads; still a good workout, but lacking in the technicality and satisfaction areas. What kept me from the outer ridge? It wasn't abject fear, though some steep, rocky descents and ledge drops perturbed me, and it wasn't time constraints, as the Reservoir is not far from my apartment and the summer months mean long, lit evenings... rather, my lack of familiarity with the route and the fatigue of a cold conspired to sap my will.

Yesterday, though, my determination was rewarded. After making it up to the ridge, I met a rider named Jim, who offered to show me more of the route. Since I had only done it once, I graciously accepted his offer. Jim was an older rider, pushing 50, and had been riding the Reservoir for near 25 years. He didn't take the same exact route my other "guide" had, the differences being that all we didn't hit all the swooping downhill stuff, and we entered the meadow from a different location. Still a very enjoyable ride, and although he had 20 years on me, I was pressed to keep up.

There was a bit of excitement during the last leg of the ride when Jim spotted a large male black bear in the trail up ahead. We lost sight of it and contemplated going back along the trail to pick an alternate route until two other riders showed up who shockingly displayed no reservations about running into a 200lb clawed powerhouse. Our confidence bolstered by numbers and their brashness, we pedaled through noisily with no troubles.

Prior to the ride, I discovered that I had left my beat up old helmet at home. Seizing the opportunity, I stopped by Central Wheel and picked up a new one with a sun visor. I was pleased with how easily the straps adjusted, and with how firmly the thing fit. My old one, well, even with patient strap adjustment and fiddling with the foam inserts, the fit left something to be desired; too often it would jostle during bumpy sections or drift backwards off my forehead.

After this ride, I feel more confident that I can ride the ridge trail alone and find my way through. Most of the tough drops and obstacles have an alternate route around them. I figure I'll give my legs a day to recover and then see about hitting it up tomorrow depending on what else I've got going on.