Well the winter solstice arrived in Michigan and the biking-gods were kind! Weather was perfect, freezing for the past week, fresh snow on the ground - who could ask for more? Having talked this ride up I even managed to convince to more Okemosians to join in the fun. Hard running Mark has been night riding before and wanted to test a new light he had bought, but Bob (with whom I had ridden once at Birchfield back in late summer) had never done the night thing. I lent Bob my "proper" light and mounted my old 10 w halogen bar light on by monocog (Big Dog).
8:30 pm and we meet at the assigned place then head (somewhat illicitly) onto the trails. They are in absolutely perfect condition! Just enough tracks to help navigation in the dark - with the small puddle of orange light provided by my halogen lamp - but the majority of the snow was crunchy goodness. First sections and we take it easy, all just settling in to the unfamiliar feel of riding in the dark me for the first time fixed! Trails are not technical but with the lack of coasting it it challenging enough not to be boring. Scoot alongside the river through some mildly rooty and bumpy sections until we cross the road Harris Park. Have to carry bikes over a chained up gate suggests that perhaps we shouldn't be doing this but what the hell! Its the Solstice and we are biking.
The trail here passes very close to several "MacMansions" and a persistent barking dog puts my nerves on edge for a while until the trail pitches back into the woods and we are alone in the quiet darkness again. At the half way point (close to Meridian Road) we stop and take the required "team photo". Then we head back along the lower (and slightly more technical) trail to the steps (which are negotiated with our bikes on our shoulders cyclocross stylee).
Take in some very nice tight single track on the way back to Van Atta Road and thence back to where we started - hung a right to take in the "muddy crossing" - half way along trail is a new fallen log, slightly at angles to the trail and covered in snow. A bit bigger than any log I've tackled on a fixie but I give it a go (or three) and fail miserably each time (this riding fixed is going to take some learning). Over the frozen muddy crossing and back to the "interesting" bit of trail. Bob nearly comes a cropper into the stream but manages to save himself courtesy of a tree branch he can cling to until he has disengaged himself from the new Time Attac pedals he is using (for only the third time). Up the hill, under the log branch and we are back at the trail head.
Suggestions of a beer are made and accepted so we cruise along Dobie to Dusty's Tap Room where in our snow covered biking gear (see photo) we bemuse all the ther patrons. Fortunately without my glasses I can't really see much so am comfortably ignorant of the strange looks we are attracting.
Trip home is a bit on the nippy side, having thawed out and gotten wet in the bar but "no-one died". Awesome ride! Good for the Soul!
Happy Solstice!!
DB
The Big Dog!!
