Ye Olden Days
Date: Nov 25 Tues
Weather: 45F, breezy
Mileage: 26
November mileage: 483
Year to date: 2956
Date: Nov 26 Wed
Weather: 48F, sunny
Mileage: 20
November mileage: 503
Year to date: 2976
After a near death march of a commute yesterday- one which I will write off as "one of those days"- I used a day off today for a different kind of cycling experience. I had considered taking the LBS 20/30/60 this morning, but in the end was to ambivalent to pack up so early. This afternoon the fam went shopping for school clothes so I escaped as well, packing up the C'dale for some trail riding. I hadn't been to Waverly in years and years. It's a Metro Park on the southwest side of the county, one that is maintained and regularly used by the local dirt community. A trip there also brings back memories for me from many years past. If you study the map (post below) near junction marker 4 there is a wee little water/fire tower. That extension leads to Windsor Forest subdivision, my home from ages 11-16. If you travel further SW towards marker 6, the trails lead to the old location of a country club, in the truest sense a club in the boondocks, at least back in the day. That was but a relic even by the time I was visiting my grandparents' home in the mid-70s when we moved back to KY. Their house was but a mile or two away from that via old roads and paths. The Country Club remains- fire? foreclosure?- were something of a legend even then in the mid-70s. The club had developed bridle paths near the former clubhouse, ones that later were/are used by all types of off-road vehicles. You can only imagine the beer drinking and elicit weekend sex that took place deep in the woodsthere. On the map those can be seen as off-limits yellow trails. As such, I had explored those trails in my youth on a bmx bike before the advent of the mtbike culture.
In the early 90s, black and pink C'dale in tow, I again explored those trails as part of the first network of mtbike trails in the area, mostly on the upper 4-wheeler trails. One of my best mtbiking memories was one of particularly savage accident on the NW side of Waverly in what now would be the yards of subdivision dwellers. My friend/student Chad and I were ripping and roaring and I approached a downhill withe some speed, Chad behind me. I went down in the some wet leaves, but all was fine. Alas, Chad was too close behind and careened into my supine body, first leaving a tire tread across my back and then cascading downward, the end of his bar bashing my hand in a direct blow. "This is bad." We hustled back as best as possible to the car park and proceeding directly to the hospital, I holding an extremely swollen and red hand. The doc later informed me that he was "surprised" it wasn't broken. Later, on another expedition in Cherokee Park, Chad went headfirst into the side of the ditch. To the day I'm shocked he didn't break his neck.
So, that was Waverly. What is it like now?
The local trail boys have done significant work on the trails to make them both fun and viable. I crossed, probably, 6 of these bridges today. One thing I found difficult today was that the trails went very up and down. That is to say I often did not have enough speed to clear the steep climb our of the creekbeds. A slight contribution to this is the tires found on the C'dale. I don't remember- perhaps by choice- the brand, but they're terrible in all conditions. Because the C'dale is a very occassional option, I refuse to spend $$ on buying more.
This is it, Mountain Brook Dr. from 6th-11th grade. It hasn't changed much save the expiration of a nice red maple in the left of this pic. It does have a pool in back, but I preferred the football/baseball area.
Now the common areas are marked with these nice "trail signs. We spent an awful lot of time in the "woods".
Today, after the side trip to WF I continued on the bridle paths towards the old club location. This is one of the 2 lakes originally constructed for fishing. The greenish hue doesn't make for an appetizing picnic location. Nearby I also shot a pic of some cars that had been thrown down the hillside. Interestingly, just above them, where the foundations of the old club were found- at least in the 90s- stands a new house on the top of the hill. The whole topography of the area as changed. What once was mysterious woods is now yet more encroaching development. Disappointing.
It is at this point that I deleted half of my entry while moving this bike pic from below. I'm a little irritated and will now cut this entry short. I finished my ride by getting stuck in construction mud. Perhaps I'll load the remaining pics later.
Weather: 45F, breezy
Mileage: 26
November mileage: 483
Year to date: 2956
Date: Nov 26 Wed
Weather: 48F, sunny
Mileage: 20
November mileage: 503
Year to date: 2976
After a near death march of a commute yesterday- one which I will write off as "one of those days"- I used a day off today for a different kind of cycling experience. I had considered taking the LBS 20/30/60 this morning, but in the end was to ambivalent to pack up so early. This afternoon the fam went shopping for school clothes so I escaped as well, packing up the C'dale for some trail riding. I hadn't been to Waverly in years and years. It's a Metro Park on the southwest side of the county, one that is maintained and regularly used by the local dirt community. A trip there also brings back memories for me from many years past. If you study the map (post below) near junction marker 4 there is a wee little water/fire tower. That extension leads to Windsor Forest subdivision, my home from ages 11-16. If you travel further SW towards marker 6, the trails lead to the old location of a country club, in the truest sense a club in the boondocks, at least back in the day. That was but a relic even by the time I was visiting my grandparents' home in the mid-70s when we moved back to KY. Their house was but a mile or two away from that via old roads and paths. The Country Club remains- fire? foreclosure?- were something of a legend even then in the mid-70s. The club had developed bridle paths near the former clubhouse, ones that later were/are used by all types of off-road vehicles. You can only imagine the beer drinking and elicit weekend sex that took place deep in the woodsthere. On the map those can be seen as off-limits yellow trails. As such, I had explored those trails in my youth on a bmx bike before the advent of the mtbike culture.
In the early 90s, black and pink C'dale in tow, I again explored those trails as part of the first network of mtbike trails in the area, mostly on the upper 4-wheeler trails. One of my best mtbiking memories was one of particularly savage accident on the NW side of Waverly in what now would be the yards of subdivision dwellers. My friend/student Chad and I were ripping and roaring and I approached a downhill withe some speed, Chad behind me. I went down in the some wet leaves, but all was fine. Alas, Chad was too close behind and careened into my supine body, first leaving a tire tread across my back and then cascading downward, the end of his bar bashing my hand in a direct blow. "This is bad." We hustled back as best as possible to the car park and proceeding directly to the hospital, I holding an extremely swollen and red hand. The doc later informed me that he was "surprised" it wasn't broken. Later, on another expedition in Cherokee Park, Chad went headfirst into the side of the ditch. To the day I'm shocked he didn't break his neck.
So, that was Waverly. What is it like now?
The local trail boys have done significant work on the trails to make them both fun and viable. I crossed, probably, 6 of these bridges today. One thing I found difficult today was that the trails went very up and down. That is to say I often did not have enough speed to clear the steep climb our of the creekbeds. A slight contribution to this is the tires found on the C'dale. I don't remember- perhaps by choice- the brand, but they're terrible in all conditions. Because the C'dale is a very occassional option, I refuse to spend $$ on buying more.
While many of the trails are tight and windy singletrack, you can still connect with the remnants of the old bridle paths. These are heavily rooted and rocky. I find that the 29er wheels and excellent action of the Lefty fork really allow me to explore the limits of handling that I surely never had on either a bmx bike or the early C'dale.
Because I was near old haunts I took a side trip into Windsor Forest for a brief trip down memory lane. While I most certainly will not encourage anyone else to experience the middle school years that have haunted me so, I can say that I didn't know how good I had it in W.F. Behind the homes were common areas, woods, trails, that you could access out your back yard. We spend countless hours on bmx bikes, playing fort, hide-n-seek, looking for junk in the creeks. Really if I had to choose to live in a subdivision now, it would be an excellent spot for the boys. that said, WF is a bit more run down than it was in the 80s.
Because I was near old haunts I took a side trip into Windsor Forest for a brief trip down memory lane. While I most certainly will not encourage anyone else to experience the middle school years that have haunted me so, I can say that I didn't know how good I had it in W.F. Behind the homes were common areas, woods, trails, that you could access out your back yard. We spend countless hours on bmx bikes, playing fort, hide-n-seek, looking for junk in the creeks. Really if I had to choose to live in a subdivision now, it would be an excellent spot for the boys. that said, WF is a bit more run down than it was in the 80s.
This is it, Mountain Brook Dr. from 6th-11th grade. It hasn't changed much save the expiration of a nice red maple in the left of this pic. It does have a pool in back, but I preferred the football/baseball area.
Now the common areas are marked with these nice "trail signs. We spent an awful lot of time in the "woods".
Today, after the side trip to WF I continued on the bridle paths towards the old club location. This is one of the 2 lakes originally constructed for fishing. The greenish hue doesn't make for an appetizing picnic location. Nearby I also shot a pic of some cars that had been thrown down the hillside. Interestingly, just above them, where the foundations of the old club were found- at least in the 90s- stands a new house on the top of the hill. The whole topography of the area as changed. What once was mysterious woods is now yet more encroaching development. Disappointing.
It is at this point that I deleted half of my entry while moving this bike pic from below. I'm a little irritated and will now cut this entry short. I finished my ride by getting stuck in construction mud. Perhaps I'll load the remaining pics later.
The C'dale is a nice bike, good for clearning logs and rocks and such with its big footprint and shock. OTOH, it's a bit silly to have a 29er on a medium-sized frame. It doesn't make for a graceful singletracker. But again, I'm not a graceful singletracker.
I did turn over 500m for the month, a might tidy number I think. I also have the chance to add some more miles this weekend as well. If I were to stop eating, I think I would develop some nice fitness.
I did turn over 500m for the month, a might tidy number I think. I also have the chance to add some more miles this weekend as well. If I were to stop eating, I think I would develop some nice fitness.
Comments