The day promised to be a scorching hot one, but that is no excuse not to go for a ride. Even so, I opted for an easy ride with my daughter, looking for cool, shady roads and lots of breaks.
We parked in Urbana and headed out into the heat, but soon found the hoped for quiet route. Checking out some neighnborhood streets, we said hello to some kids out riding, and pointed out a blimp flying high overhead.
Next it was onto a sketchy gravel descent. My stoker, AKA the Princess Stoker, is usually hard charging for the fastest downhills, but for some reason today she wanted me to be a little more cautious. Since I'm more about the fun than the challenge, I was happy to comply.
We turned onto Peters Rd. and the down turned to up. I was pleased though, because I knew this would be just a short out and back spur. It was indeed short, but also very steep, so there's no harm in walking a bit. The views near the intersection with Park Mills Rd. make the climb worthwhile. Very pretty.
We turned around and dropped back in, once again with care. Down along the stream again we found a pleasant spot to stop and have a snack. We rolled a bit more, then found another nice stoping point. No worries.
Finally the road turned away from the creek. It also turned back into a paved surface, which helped in the long, but not too difficult climb up to Thurston Rd. We opted to head right back to Urbana instead of extending the loop, and with the heat I think it was the right decision. Another nice day in the saddle.
| The roads around Sugarloaf Mountain hold some lovely riding. |
| Low traffic is good. |
| My super secret weapon, a really good strength to weight ratio means she puts out more effort than she costs (in cycling, that is). |
| The blimp finds the only cloud in the sky. |
| Starting a descent. "Dad, put your hands back on the bars!" |
| It's too sweet NOT to take a few photos. |
| Climbing. |
| We're not too proud to get off and walk sometimes. Way steeper than it looks. |
| View from near the top. |
| Does it get any better than this? I submit to you that it does not. |
| Shade is good on a hot day. |
| Back down to the creek. |
| Absolutly HUGE poison ivy leaves. |
| Break time. |
| Butterfly courting. |
| Another break. Rocks are fun to climb. |
| Upstream. |
| Downstream. |
| Today's Map. |
| Today's Profile. |
Roads Completed 6/29/2007.
| Road Name | ADC Map Grid | Subdivision | |||
| BURNT HICKORY | CIR | 39-B-13 | BURNT HICKORY | ||
| ELAINE | WAY | 38-A-12 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| FRANCIS | DR | 39-A-11 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| GUERTIN | CT | 39-B-10 | URBANA OVERLOOK | ||
| KRISTIN | CT | 38-A-12 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| LAURA | DR | 38-A-12 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| LAYTON | CT | 39-A-11 | RAMSBURG DIVISION | ||
| LYNN | ST | 38-K-12 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| PETERS | RD | 38-G-12 | N/A | ||
| RODERICK | RD | 39-B-9 | N/A | ||
| SHARON | DR | 39-A-11 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| VIRGINIA | LN | 38-A-12 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES | ||
| WILLIAMS | DR | 39-A-11 | SUGARLOAF ESTATES |