Feeling the love in Illinois.... Loves Park that is..

Mood: Very Relaxed-patio door open with a nice cool breeze
Song: God’s Gonna Cut You Down – Johnny Cash
Beverage of Choice: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Sobriety: 1 pint down the hatch
Book: A.H.W.O.S.G still reigns supreme

My intentions were to ride a trail Imagination Glen in Indiana and Espenscheid in Illinois, but it was really raining… Fortunately it quit in time for me to ride a trail later in the day.

July 11th , 2006 Rock Cut State Park Loves Park, IL
To get to this trail, take I-90 west to Rockford, exiting at East Riverside Blvd. Go left on East Riverside a few miles to Perryville Road, right on Perryville to Hwy. 173, right on Hwy. 173 about 1-1/2 miles to park entrance. Website for the park is here: http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R1/ROCKCUT.HTM Rock Cut has 23 miles set aside for mountain biking, and also connects to a paved trail system that I did not ride(Willow Creek). The biking trails are located on the northeast and southwest sides of the park. I would say that the northeast portion of the trail is not so good. There seemed to be a lot of traffic (runners), and good part of the trail was two track. The northwest part of the trail was a good ride. I would recommend stopping by the park if you are in the neighborhood and hopping on the bike trail in the Willow Creek Natural area of the park. There were some good technical portions, and a couple of good down hills.

Food Establishments Frank O’Dowd’s Irish Pub
Stopped in at the pub late and ordered a Guinness and an order of Bangers and Mash. The Guinness sure hit the spot, but the Bangers were more like hot dogs… No real taste.
The pub has a tremendous ambiance and has some very impressive woodwork. I would recommend going to this place for a good pint and a really well kempt bar. For more info on this place – check out www.theirishcottage.com . The pub is located in beautiful Galena, IL. Galena seems like a great place. I am thinking of heading here next summer and staying a day or two on the way to Iowa again.

Discussion on Beverage of Choice Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
My favorite dark beer is Brains Dark, but I haven’t been able to find it in the States. I found this wonderful nectar on a work trip to Wales, and it is killing me to not be able to get my fix! So… That leaves me with my favorite dark beer at this point being Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. I love this beer…. The beer itself is very smooth and silky.

HI in the middle and round on both ends....

Mood: Just chillin.. watching the Tour De France
Song: “Common People” by Pulp
Wine: Rene Barbier Mediterranean Red
Sobriety: Somewhere between Partly Cloudy to Severely Overcast
Book: The continuing saga of “A Heartbreaking Work..”

July 1st, 2006 Velo-Z Zanesville, OH
Big time bummer!!! I have read a lot about a trail called “Velo-Z” located just southeast of Zanesville, OH. There were big time accolades in the Mountain Biking Ohio book I own, along with a lot of postings on the internet saying this is (or should I say was) arguably the best trail in Ohio. I followed the directions on the internet and the book I own, only to find out that the trail is closed. But…. I took advantage of being in the location that I was. I ended up riding down the road and ended up entering the Blue Rock State Forest. It was definitely not anything extremely exciting, but I found and Equestrian trail and road that for a while that ended up with some good hills and creek crossings. I normally am extremely anal about getting my information together for biking trips, but have been extremely pressed for time due to actual job workload. I can’t complain…It pays well.. So… this is the result of lack of homework…. Kinda worries me for my trip that starts July 11th…

July 2nd, 2006 Alum Creek State Park Just North East of Columbus, OH
This trail is located north of Columbus, west of I-71. From I-71 exit east onto Polaris Parkway. Follow Polaris Parkway north, and it will become Worthington Road. Follow Worthington north to Lewis Center and take a left. Follow it to the trailhead, about 1 mile down on the right.

This is a fantastic trail system to ride, incorporating many creek crossings and has the potential for a lot of speed. I recommend riding the 2 mile easy loop on the south side of the road for a good warm-up prior to riding the more difficult section. This trail is definitely worth the ride if you are in the area. Thank heavens this was a good trail…I was very depressed when I found out about Velo-Z.

Food Establishments:
Columbus Brewing Company
Drink the Scottish Ale! It is excellent!

Riding in Kentucky Y'all

Mood: Work is a four letter word
Song: “Sing” by the Dresden Dolls
Wine: Beringer Nouveau
Sobriety: My puzzler (aka head) hurts – Happy Birthday USA
Book: A Heartbreaking Work….. continues

June 25th, 2006 Wilderness Trail Louisville, KY
Drove from Bloomington, IN to Louisville today. To get to the Wilderness Trail Loop, click on this link: http://www.kymba.org/trails/trail.php?id=51 the only additional info I can provide is that there is good parking across from the trail next to a creek and a golf course.

This trail has over 2 miles of excellent riding. Upon completion of the trail, I walked over to a creek to chat with three bikers who appeared to be cooling off in the water. I asked if there were any other trails in the area that were worth riding. I found two things out…

First –there is over 5.5 miles of additional trails along the river bank that is a freaking fantastic ride. I was lucky enough to tag along with these three individuals for a personal tour of the local trail system. It is unfortunate that out of towners would never realize these trails existed, or how to navigate them. I do have to let ya all in on the fact that I crashed and burned big time on the trail. I tried to bunny hop over a vine that was a good 2” in diameter. My pedal actually caught up in the vine, and I superman’ed over the handlebars.

Second – These three riders had a good scheme going – and strategically placed beer in the river/creek/stream trail crossings and would stop and partake of the wares as they saw fit. This wasn’t cheap beer either…Bells Oberon…