I tried a couple of new things today - my specialized defroster winter shoes (I'll do a full review after a few rides on them), and the curly springs section of the trail area 51.
I rode from the shooting range, up betty, lower and upper belt to area 51. Rather than dropping down dry canyon, I wanted to see if the trail continued and connected to battle creek canyon. I had heard there was a connector, but had never gone any further than curly springs.
From the dry canyon turn off, the trail is a sustained climb. As 51 nears battle creek, it turns towards timp and drops down some steep sections. These sections are shaded almost all day and still have plenty of snow. The descent down battle creek wasn't as fun as I had hoped only because the holiday hikers were out in throngs.
From Kiwanis park, I hooked back onto the BST and rode back to the shooting range. It was a nice change of pace to mix things up, but I won't be revisiting this route until late spring or early summer when the trail is clear as 51 nears battle creek canyon. I'm glad I was coming down battle creek and not up -- that would be a beast.
Hoping for another nice ride tomorrow--Thinking about a couple of laps that include ireland.
 |
| From AtomicMiles |
4 comments:
Wow, that's a massive loop! I'd love to see the stats on it. Aside from the hikers, how was the Battle descent?
An ambitious ride, especially for November.
I've been meaning to ride up Curly Springs for years. Making a loop with BST is an
excellent idea.
Today with my wife I went up Betty, over on Lament then down Dry Canyon. I saw a newish
trail sign for Curly Springs.
Have they improved the Curly Springs trail getting out of Dry Canyon? Last time I went
that way it went steeply up an old double-track. There is another trail up a bit that I
liked better, as long as it isn't overgrown.
I have time tomorrow for a ride, if you want some company. You can give a time here or
use the secure e-mail link on my blog.
Curly can be a good route. It gets pretty chewed up by mid summer - a combination of dry conditions and horses. But if you can catch it in good form, it's a blast. There is a nice lookout point if you continue past the Battle plunge. You get right up on the point above Battle Creek, it's worth the extra 5 minutes of riding.
Post a Comment