Today’s ride was interesting. Due to the video recording, we weren’t getting a big workout. Mostly just sessioning on the flow trails to get some interesting video. I wanted to practice getting off-the-bike shots with my GoPro.
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Talking to some other riders in the area about our mtb trail opportunities, I got a somewhat crazy idea about linking our area trails together in a big, long ride. I wanted to do it all via county roads, but looking at maps of the area, it became apparent an all-county-road route would not be possible. The problem: the Angelina River bottoms. Between Nacogdoches and Lufkin, there’s only one road that crosses them: US-59. Not the ideal road because of its 70mph speed limit, but it’d really be the only option unless we REALLY wanted to go out of our way and probably spend days riding. Not this time. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone for a midday ride. It’s been so horrendously hot it’s not been worth it. But with Tropical Storm Lee in the area, we got clouds, wind, and cooler temperatures. I really would have preferred we get some rain along with it, but I’ll take what I can get at this point. I took advantage of the temps and went for a ride. It’s been awhile since my last post. Grad school is keeping me busy. So are trips to Schlitterbahn and yard work. Yesterday saw a slight cool-down due to northerly breezes and I took advantage. It was in the mid-90′s when I left and down to the mid-80′s when I finished up. I’ve been planning to visit the Upland Island Wilderness for awhile. I ordered a map from MyTopo for this area last summer and I’ve been trying to get out here since. On the 4th, with the wife out of town, I figured I’d go hike in the Upland Island Wilderness. I wanted to see the longleaf pine savannas and the spring-fed bogs at the exposures of the Catahoula Formation and photograph some of the carnivorous plants. I didn’t post any updates for awhile and I apologize. I had finals to deal with and hardly went to the office at all. And when I did, there was bad weather brewing so I wound up driving. So Week 2 was a wash. I didn’t bike to work, but then again I hardly drove, either. Week 3 was another matter. I biked in most of the week but wound up driving a couple of days for inclement weather forecasts. The forecast bad weather those days didn’t end up happening until well after dark, so I felt cheated. The stretch of the Neches River between Anderson’s Crossing and Route 7 has been designated the Davy Crockett Paddling Trail recently. I paddled this stretch of the river a few years ago when I first moved to the area. The river was running high then (normal for this time of year). This year, it’s not running so high. My paddle hit the bottom on several occasions, but the water level is still plenty high for canoeing. I wouldn’t run a motor boat down this stretch anytime soon, though. Even at this pretty low level, it was much clearer of debris than I had anticipated. Other stretches of the river force you out of the boat often to clear downed trees. Someone keeps this stretch of river clear enough that you can always find a way to paddle around an obstacle. For the first week of bike month, I was able to commute every day of the week, totaling about 35mi. Weight 178.2, BF 12.3% (I was apparently dehydrated when I stepped on the scale). Not a huge amount, but I do have a short commute. I compiled a video showing one of my route options (the one with some dirt). Today I went to Lufkin to help the folks from DET-TRAC and the Angelina Bike Club with some trail maintenance at Kit McConnico Park. I hadn’t ridden there yet and I thought it’d be a good opportunity to scope the trails out before riding. The SFA Outdoor Pursuits planned this trip for the stretch of the Angelina River between Highway 63 and Martin Dies Jr. State Park. I was stoked to do this trip. I’ve done a decent bit of paddling, but I’ve never camped out of my canoe before. My wife and I signed ourselves up and hoped for the best. |
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