Arcadian Grit & Gravel

Thanks to a buddy named Rob and another buddy named Vince I got wind of the Arcadian Grit & Gravel. Well, now that I'm back, I'll share my tale of high adventure.

I got on the road a little later than I hoped, but made it to Crystal Mountain resort mid Friday afternoon.  The weather was gorgeous and the resort was very nice.  I've never been to a resort before.  Unless the Holiday Inn counts.  Well, I have gone on a couple golf trips, but Lakewood Shores wasn't really a resort.  Well, maybe it was, but I was pretty hammered that whole trip.  Anyway, here's Crystal Mountain:

I checked in with the nice lady at the front desk.  She wouldn't let me take her picture.  However, my bungalow was the bomb.  It had a Jacuzzi.  Yes I got naked with a beer and enjoyed all its glory.

However, the brown trout overhead made me a little nervous.  So did his friends.  Didn't want them ending up in the tub with me.

Anyway, after I checked in, got my room, and lunch in my belly, I hit the local trails.  There were a few choices but I decided to try the Betsie River Trail.  It wasn't that challenging, but made for a fun, relaxing ride, which is all I really wanted with the race the next day....Greetings from the Betsie River Pathway:

After the ride I cleaned up, put on some snazzy digs and went to the Thistle Pub & Grill right across from my bungalow.  I hopped up to the bar, ordered a trusted friend, aka Two Hearted and began my beer intake for the evening.  It got bad when I opted for a 25oz Shorts Humalupalicious.

I had 3 more....   Then there was a frog.

Me naked in the Jacuzzi. 

Then I woke up.  It was race day!  I ate a good breakfast.  Evacuated my bowels.  Then packed up my truck and drove the 15 miles to the Pleasant Valley Community Center to use their bathroom.  Actually, that's were the race took place too, so it worked out.

I registered.  I was number 116.  How awesome is that?  Not very.  Numbers 115 and 117 both got prizes.  So 116 sucks!

The race was challenging.  17 miles of some good gravel roads, some good two track, some sandy gravel roads and some sandy two track.  The sand was a bitch, but I went with the right bike.  The mighty snatch rolled right through it for the most part.   What made the race really fun was the 10 miles of single track towards the end.  It was like one giant pump track.  If you maintained your momentum it was one heck of a roller coaster.  However, I was pretty gassed and lost it a couple of times.  But, it was still a blast.

After about 2hr 45min I crossed the finish line.  I had to stop in the woods to pee once and walked a few of the sandy two tracks.  I could have done better, but that's for next year.  I'll be going back.  I may save the humalupalicious for after the race though.

Oh and one more thing.  Team Hot Dog is kind of a big deal.  I met a fan named Emily.  She remembered the ride bikes, drink beer from Barry Roubaix.  She saw my shirt and just had to get my autograph.  However, I didn't have a pen so we had a post race meal together.

Hot Dog's Georgia Report

Like all good things that come to an end, our trip to Georgia and the mountain biking paradise of Mulberry Gap had to as well.  This trip was one of the best mountain biking experiences I have ever had, and was lucky to share it with Coach, Shaun, and DLC.  Wow!  I'm still on a high from it.

 

We got on the road early Saturday, and made the long trek down I-75 to Georgia.  A quick pit stop at  Skyline Chili outside of Cincinnati, and we landed at Mulberry Gap just a few hours later.  We were greeted by David pitching a tent, indulging in a few frosty beverages.  After joining David in a tent pitching fiesta, we all settled down around a fire having a few "pops" ourselves.  Had to make sure we christened the first night of a epic trip the right way!  

 Once the fire got started, we quickly realized we didn't have much wood, and it was probably too late to knock on the door hammered requesting we get more from Mulberry HQ.  I, the quick thinker that I am, decided it was best to use a glow stick to ride the night out.... and it worked beautifully:

The next morning, we quickly rose and headed down to the Mulberry Gap mess hall or cabin or barn or nook or whatever the hell you want to call it, but its where I've had many a phenomenal meal since.  We were greeted by Ginnie and Andrew, along with cheesy eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, and the best damn sweet potato waffles in the WORLD!  A quick take down of our awesome breakfast, add the first of many brown trout deliveries, and we were ready to ride our bikes!

I'll let Coach get specific with Garmin data and all that jazz, but Day 1 consisted of a long ass climb, followed by a lot more climbing, and then some downhill once you were exhausted... and it kind of went that way for 6 days in a row.  We climbed to the top of Bear Creek (I think), and then "bombed" down Pinhoti 1 & 2, or P1 & P2.

 

I was one tired wiener after the climb, and was a little worried about what the downhill had in store for us.  I really thought it would go something like this:

But to my pleasure, it was actually this:

Once we got to the bottom, we came across a big tree, I think it's a Bennet Poplar or something.  At any rate, Steve decided it was a great chance to show the camera his nobs:

I believe Day 1 came out to close to 20 miles of riding, and 3500 ft of climbing.  Day 2, David went golfing/beer drinking so I was left to fend for myself with Coach and fast Shaun.  We climbed and bombed P2 again.  I was destroyed.  I went back to the camp site, and those two knuckleheads went on to tackle climbing and descending P3.  I'd eventually hit it later in the week.  David enjoyed the golf so much, that I received this text later in the day:

Needless to say, David had a hungover ride the following day! Day 3, we headed over to Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee, based on the sound advice of the boys over at Bear Creek Bikes, and it was my favorite ride of the trip.  It was a cross between Poto, PLRA, the Tree Farm, and Stony Creek rolled into one.  And it was sweet!!  Lots of scenery, lots of fast, "sweat" singletrack, and enough climbing to piss you off.  At one point, good ol' HD here got carried away with new found love for my carbon handlebars, and took off from the rest of the guys.  Only to hit a corner a little to wide, slide across some roots, and bounce off the Tennessee dirt.  Shaun said it sounded like a bear fell out of a tree.  Tail between my legs, I got up, and we made it through the rest of the ride.

Day 4, was Bull Mountain.  We didn't know where the hell we were going, got lost going to the trail, got lost on the trail, and had a fun time with the GPS getting back from Bull Mountain (Be sure to ask David all about it when you see him).  In the decent singletrack and climbing that we did get in, think we managed 17 miles or so.  Highlights included some cool downhill sections, some creek crossings, and our pal Patrick, who was also from Michigan, who camped across the way from us.  He rode Bull Mountain with us, as well as a devastating Day 5.  This is already a long blog post, so I will defer the Patrick references to Coach, Shaun, and David.  Get ready.  We have many a hilarious story with that character.  Nice guy though.

Day 5 was the ride from hell.  At this point, David had headed home.  I was left all alone, to ride with the fast guys.  I guess I have to get past my "mental addiction" to Pepsi if I'm to become a stronger rider.  It was Coach, Shaun, and Patrick, who was surprisingly fast for riding a 50 lb GT full suspension rig.  Ok, so my legs are shot, like I'm just cooked.  What do we do?  P2, P3, then P2 again.  Steve thought it would be funny to turn back onto P3 as we finished the second loop of P2.  25 miles, 4125 ft of climbing in my legs, I was beyond laughing or talking, and just called his bluff and headed back to Mulberry.  30 seconds later, Steve and Shaun joined back up with me giggling like a bunch of bitches.  Nice work guys.  I'm still crying from that day!

Day 6.  Well, I rode 3 miles.  We attempted to ride the ridge of Snake Creek Gap.  I was spent, and because I was so exhausted, I didn't feel like banging my melon on the multitude of rocks peppering the trail.  I called it, headed back to the car, and waited for the guys to come back.

So, that was the riding report.  In closing, let me speak about the awesomeness that is Mulberry Gap.  The people who run the place (Ginnie, Andrew, and Diane) are AWESOME!  Very friendly, and cook like you wouldn't believe.  They are awesome people, and know what they are doing. It's a mountain bike paradise for sure.  I had the best meatloaf, pulled pork, and chocolate/peanut butter pie that exists! They will even be hanging a Team Hot Dog jersey on the wall in their rec barn!  Not only is the food (and beer) awesome, but we got to meet a lot of cool mountain bikers from all over the country.  Specifically, our friend Patrick, the boys from Michigan Mountain Mayhem (damnit, are they fast as hell!), and Steven Martine, who was training for the Trans North Georgia Mountain Bike Race, and will also be doing the Tour Divide later this summer.  These guys, and other dudes from North Carolina, Georgia, and St. Louis were super cool!

They also had some really kick ass dogs.  Like 8-10 of these things.  A lot of them are stray, feral dogs that people drop off in the mountains cause they want to get rid of them for whatever reason.  They then find their way to the Gap, and from there, they don't leave cause it's so awesome.  These dogs are super cute, and oh so friendly.  My favorite was Sasha, see below:

In closing, I leave you with a pic of Shaun and Mandy, establishing a bond that only a picture can illustrate:

See some of you up at Mud, Sweat & Beers this weekend!!

tHD Returns!

We've all made it back from Georgia in one piece, and I must say... that was freaking AWESOME!!  I haven't been on this big of a mountain biking high in a long LONG time.  WOW!  Completely blown away with the week we just spent in the Georgia mountains.  I am having Mulberry Gap withdrawals.  I am also flat out exhausted.

I think in a few days, either Coach, Shaun, DLC, or myself will blog with a nice little recap on the week that was.  We've got alot of awesome photos, videos, and stories to get organized before we post up.  We've also got to give Gary Mudd a chance to report back on the PLRA race he is participating in, and then next week, its Mud, Sweat, & Beers up in Traverse. 

So be on the look out for some new blog posts this week.  The 2012 biking season is about to EXPLODE!  Hope you are ready.  Bring your big boy pants!

Travelblogue

The destination was Harrisville and the plan was straightforward. On Wednesday night the wife and I would go "up-north" to do a little exploring on our bikes during the days and do our best to keep the local watering holes in the black by night.

I loaded up the bikes and the dog and headed up to my folk's place in Oxford where I rendezvoused with Cheryl after she got off work. We ditched a car and the dog and we were north-bound.

My grandparents' house had been left to the family a few years ago and since then it's become the default destination for quick get-aways like this one. It's situated on the edge of the village, walking distance from the harbor, a state park, a grocery store, and perhaps most importantly, three decent bars. You'll see some crowds during holiday weekends but it's much sleepier than anything on the "sunset side," and this time of year it's a virtual ghost town.

We arrived late, but I was excited so I set my alarm to wake me at six. The forecast said that it would be sunny all day, but a little chilly, with temperatures in the mid 30s in the morning. I planned on riding out and snapping some pictures of the sunrise at Sturgeon Point light house and putting in a few faster miles before Cheryl woke up.

In the morning I discovered that the forecast was a fraud. There was no sun and the wind was making it feel like it was in the low 20s. Mornings are often a struggle for me, so I have to adopt an "I'm going to do this no matter what" attitude even when it's nice. Somehow that switch stayed on and I managed to suit-up and roll out just as the sun would have come out, were it not overcast.

I don't know if the word "nice" applies, but the ride was certainly an experience. The cold made my hip and knee hurt really bad and the wind was brutal. After that stuff faded into the background, it became sort of interesting riding around on paved farm roads where there was no traffic. While Harrisville is hardly the ends of the earth, the feeling that there were not many people around became pronounced as I rode along.

When I got back I was cold and worn out, but I managed to pull myself together to go out again with Cheryl (actually, he was in the fetal position under the covers of the bed and I had to pry him out~Cheryl). By then the sun had come out, but the wind was worse. We put in another 20 miles and it was amazing what the sun and some company could do for a ride.

When we returned it was just in time to get cleaned up and walk down the street to catch opening day at Ki Cuyler's Dugout, a bar named for this guy. I learned to like Shocktop IPA and we had a good pizza.

It would be easy to get bored hanging out in a small town like Harrisville. I think the trick is to exhaust yourself so that when you are done with the day's activities you just sleep and are ready for the next day, which is how things went. The next day we got a hearty breakfast at the Flour Garden, where we got to listen to some small town banter and eat some wholesome food before driving on to Hanson Hills.

Hanson Hills was a blast. Cheryl was still getting comfortable clipping in and out and the main loop was just the right amount of challenge for her. After completing the first ten miles we stopped by the car and deliberated whether or not to do the ten mile "Outer Loop." We decided that it would take too long at the rate we were going and we settled on the four mile "easy rider" loop, which is where things went bad for a spell.

When we returned to the car after the first loop, I opened my saddle bag to get my keys in order to grab something from the car, and even mentioned something out loud to Cheryl about how crappy it would be if I forgot to zip it up again... Well, around three miles in, after riding over some of the lumpiest, bumpiest trail in Michigan, Cheryl pulled up behind me and asked if I knew that the car keys were dangling out of my saddle bag. "Um, no."

Mid-Loop Inventory

Keys: Accounted for

Wallet: Missing

Shiny Metal Multi Tool: Missing

Packet of Banana Strawberry Energy Goo: Missing

So we walked back with our eyes scanning the trail and brush to find the missing items. A fellow riding the opposite way we were riding asked what was up and said he'd keep his eyes open. A mile goes by... nothing. Then Cheryl spotted my multi-tool in the brush a few feet off the trail (I had missed it as I walked by). The fellow we saw before passed by again, "sorry, didn't see anything." Things weren't looking good. Another half mile and I spot the goo in the middle of the trail. I started to feel like a crash scene investigator examining a debris field, trying to piece together which items would fall out first and under what conditions. I held out hope for the wallet for a bit, but as we neared the car I was mentally preparing to go back out, not find it, have to cancel some cards, and then live with the knowledge that my crap was out there.

The awesome day was shot, until... I rolled back up the car and the only other guy left at the trailhead parking lot asked me about my ride as he loaded up his bike. I tried not to sound too pissed when I said it was good. Then he asked, "What's your name?"

He left this note on my car in case we didn't catch him on the way back. He found the wallet out on the two-track connector, not a mile from the parking lot. At this point, it is important that all the world knows that John A, of Traverse City is the man.

After the fiasco, we needed a beer, which we got along with some decent burgers at The Ole Barn in Grayling. It looked a little bit like a place you might find Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott working, but no fights broke out, and the service was quite civilized. It hit the spot after a long day of riding and and the stress of the last hour at Hanson Hills.

Not a bad trip...

Tour De Cure 2012

I am excited to announce that once again, Team Hot Dog will be joining the American Diabetes Association for the 2012 Tour De Cure. On June 9, 2012, I will be riding 62 miles for this excellent cause. I know that participation has been dropping over the last few years and that it's most likely due to the fact that some of you just don't like the fundraising portion, but I urge you to reconsider. For all of the debauchery that Team Hot Dog gets into, I think this is a perfect opportunity to balance ourselves out with Karma.

The route I chose to ride is a 62 mile stroll through Brighton, Chelsea and the Potowatomi. The traffic is always light and the pace is about the same. There are mountain bike routes and shorter/longer road routes too if you would like. Oh and there's always that cool trip to hell...I mean, who wouldn't want to experience the thrill of rollin' in a Wiener Jersey down the Highway to Hell? Or a Sasquatch sighting?


Last year, Team Hot Dog was one of the Top Fundraisers for the Tour De Cure. I would like to repeat that this year, but more importantly, I'm hoping to see more of you guys out there with me! It's a great cause, a great day on the bike and they serve Carrabbas to us afterwards!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The link to join the team is here: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/MichiganArea?team_id=532741&pg=team&fr_id=8043

Thank You!

- Steve

Barry-Roubaix

Well that was fun! I'm sitting on my couch in the fetal position morning after the big race. Nice job everyone! I was too slow to post up a race report, so maybe one of you fast guys will do that? I did include some photos though.