I started the ride north and was greeted again by the wind. Once again, it was very strong at times and made it very difficult to maintain 10 mph. When the wind was not driving me back, I was pushing hard and easily hitting 17 mph. But, the wind was dominant and made for a tough journey.

Although the journey was tough, it was also very enjoyable. The sky was blue and the clouds were big, white and puffy.

I also stopped along the way and observed several oil pumps working as hard as I was. This little guy was atop a hill just off the trail. 

Once I got to the Oil City trail head, I saw what looked to be a telephone pole farm. So I had to stop and take a picture. But, the ride went much better that my complaining would lead you to believe. It’s a short trip to Oil City, when compared to my other adventures.

I took a very quick ride on a public road before deciding that it was not for me. I like the bike trail and will stick to that until I get a road bike. On the way back, I took some more pictures of the scenic sky and decided to finish the ride by continuing on past the Franklin trailhead and and riding south on the Allegheny River Trail.

I did stop at the Franklin trailhead for a look at the river, a drink and a brief rest for my butt. Continuing south, the wind started again. By now, I was not really making good time and was becoming a little frustrated with the wind. It was such a nice day for a ride, cool and sunny, but that wind would not let me completely enjoy it. I turned around after 2 miles and headed for home. It was a great day and a good ride. I only hope that the wind gets itself under control sometime soon. I have many plans for this summer.

My destination of choice today was Brandon. It totals about 25 miles round trip, which is an excellent distance for my second ride of the year. I enjoy the ride there and the scenery along the way. Additionally, I am secretly performing reconnaissance, in hopes of finding a nice place for us to buy someday.

Of course, I could not ride past the Belmar Bridge without snapping a couple of photos. These ones are unique as the camera was catching a little glare from the sun, producing a stunning beam of light from the sky. I also took this opportunity to eat one of my sandwiches. It was good, but I did not stay long as the bugs were getting bad.

I guess that is the only really bad thing that I could say about the river, it attracts the bugs. On this day, they were loving every minute of the river. It was not too bad coming from Franklin to the Belmar Bridge; it grew worse as I approached the bridge. As I passed south of the bridge, the bugs situation worsened. I was now starting to get bugs in my mouth, nose and ears. I could hear the sound of bugs hitting my golf jacket. I could feel them penetrating the holes in my helmet and nesting in my hair. I was ready to turn around. My only hope was that the bugs would thin out once I hit the shady part of the trail, and they did.

I cruised through the shady part of the trail with fewer bug interruptions. I do say shady even though there are no leaves on the trees yet, there is enough pine and branch coverage to produce a shady condition. The wind was still a nuisance, seemingly gusting harder the harder I tried to defeat it. The day was not very warm to begin with, and the wind and shade made for a very cool ride. I was enjoying it.

Soon, I was at the Indian God Rock. I planned on stopping to record some video and maybe get a couple more pictures from the river level. But, once again, I had to fight the bugs just to get down to the river. For some reason, they were congregating by the path that leads from the bike trail overlook down to the river. I did not plan on running down the steep trail, but I also did not want to end up covered in bugs. So, I sucked it up and ran down the dangerous trail.

The bugs were minimal at the river and I was able to accomplish my goals. Now, it was time to head back up the trail. Running up the trail was not quite as easy as running down the trail. I did my best to avoid the bugs, hopped back on my bike and set off for the Brandon trailhead. As the Indian God Rock was 9 miles south of Franklin, I knew it was just a another mile to the trailhead and then a mile into Brandon.

I was making good time, as I hated to stop for fear of a bug attack, and found time for a brief stop to check out some ducks. They were just hanging out at the water’s edge, just waiting to do whatever it is that ducks do on a Saturday afternoon.

I made it into Brandon and rode for another mile south, stopping along the way to get some video and pictures. I got to hear a crowing match between two roosters on opposite sides of the river. One would give out a loud crow and then a few seconds later, the other would answer back. I am not sure what the conversation was, but it only lasted about 5 minutes.

I was feeling pretty good about my ride today and decided to turn back homeward. It was about 2:30 and I could be home well before 4:00 if left now. That sounded like a good idea to both me and my stomach.

All the way to Brandon, I kept thinking about how nice it would be riding home with the wind at my back. All of this wind in the face was taking its toll on my legs and back. As I set off, I couldn’t feel much wind and was making good time with little effort. Unfortunately, that did not remain. For some reason, I could feel the wind hitting me hard in the face again. I have no idea how the wind can blow so strong in opposite directions. This must have been some crazy wind swirling around in the river valley, making it impossible for me to go fast.

I, once again, struggled to get home. My speed was a little better, as I was able to catch a few breaks in the wind and get back up to 16 and 17 mph. But then there were the bugs again. They seemed much worse this time and I quickly became covered in them. I could not look up for fear of them flying in my eyes and I spent much of the time brushing them from my clothes. I just wanted to be home.

It was a great day, even though there were many reasons for it not to be. I made it home well before 4:00 and was able to relax a little before getting some dinner. I cannot wait to do it again next week.

My first stop was before I even got to the trail, in Riverside Park. I pass through this park on the way to the Franklin trail head. I stopped only to take note of the height of the river. All of the recent rain and melting snow had the water level high, but normal for this time of year.

I made it to the trail head and started my journey south. As the temperature was still only in the 50’s, I packed on a layer of Under Armor and my rain jacket. I was feeling pretty warm for such a cool day and had a good feeling about the ride. My legs were enjoying the exercise; I had a slight tail wind and was making good time. I was enjoying the scenery and stopped a couple of times to further document the river level and the beauty of my surroundings.

By the time I made it to the Belmar Bridge, I was pumped. The adrenaline was flowing and I was ready for a longer ride. This would be a good time to test out my new headlight, which was purchased over the winter. So far, this headlight has worked as a great flashlight and car repair light, but I had no idea what it would do inside of a tunnel. So, I slowly climbed the steps up to the top of the Belmar Bridge. I was really a little out of shape for this, but once I reached the top, I took some pictures and was ready to head out the Sandy Creek trail towards the Rockland Tunnel. I knew that the trail was slightly uphill on the way out to Rockland and Van, but I really did not care at this point. It would be a little rough on my innocent legs, but they needed a good beating.

As I started out the Sandy Creek Trail, the sun really began to warm me. The air had turned from chilly to the perfect combination of overall warmth with an accenting cool breeze. I was really happy to ride now. The sound of the rushing water peaked my interest to the point where I would have to stop and take video and pictures at every bridge as I worked my way east. Eventually, I would make it to the tunnel.

This is the big moment for a bicycle geek like myself; the first use of my new headlight. I turned it on and rode into the tunnel. At first, I had the light pointing straight out, thinking that a 200 lumen light could provide sufficient light for the entire tunnel. Once, I realized that this little light would only light the path in front of me, it worked great. I felt a lot safer riding through the tunnel when I could see what was ahead of me. I kept my speed a little slow as I was afraid to outride the path of the light. It will take a little adjusting to get the light positioned perfectly, but it should work great.

I continued on past the tunnel and the Rockland trailhead. The trail was littered with either litter or nature. At one point, it appeared that someone had a mishap with their garage sale items. There were many broken appliances laying under one of the bridge that run above the trail. I saw a television, a kerosene heater and some garden gnomes. To make matters worse, the trail was also littered with the broken glass form the television and computer monitor. I had to get off the bike and literally carry it past this obstacle. I can only assume that these accidentally fell off some redneck’s pickup truck or they were purposely thrown form the bridge above. I am hoping it was an accidental littering.

Beyond the garage sale litter, there evidence of rock slides and tree up-rootings. The winter certainly took its toll on the bike trail. I got halfway from Rockland to Van and decided that the tree down across the trail was a sign to turn back home. I could have carried the bike over it, but I was ready to turn back. It was going to be about a 20 mile ride at this point and that would be enough for me.

I was certainly slower riding back. The tail wind that helped me earlier in the day was now a head wind that was holding me back. My legs were starting to not like me very much as I pushed them even harder now to get home. The last 3 miles were rough; my butt and legs were numb, yet very sore, an odd combination. I pushed myself the rest of the way to Franklin and was very relieved to be sitting on my couch after that ride. I know now what it will take to get my body in shape for the ride to Foxburg, and I am ready to do it, if the weather helps me out.

I started off from the Franklin trailhead riding at a fast pace, between 16 and 18 mph. It was all business for the first few miles. Then, I got a couple glimpses of foliage scenery around me and decided to start taking some photos. At one point, I was bombarded by leaves falling at such a rate that it looked like it was snowing leaves and I stopped to take a picture of this. The rest of the time, I was just looking to my right across the river at the trees lining the hillside. I stopped in some of my favorite picture locations and snapped some pictures of the scenery. I thought it would be interesting to see the “before and after” pictures when I got back home.

I continued riding south on the Allegheny River Trail. The air temperature was mild, with the thermometer only reading in the 50’s. The sun was out for much of the first part of the ride. In the sunny spots, I could feel the radiant heat of the sun warming me slightly. It did not do too much for the air temperature, but at least it gave me a brief warming.

I made it to the Belmar Bridge in what seemed like no time at all. This 5 mile trip was getting to be second nature and allowing me to drift deep into thought, making the the ride fly right by. I climbed the steps up to the Sandy Creek Trail and headed east towards Rockland. The Sandy Creek Trail was fully shaded and much colder than the Allegheny River Trail. The wind was blocked by the hills, but the sun was blocked by the trees.

On the way to Rockland, I stopped for some more photo opportunities, mostly at each of the bridges and the Mays’ Mill Tunnel. There were so many color combinations of the leaves, I had to try to capture them all. I like to see if I can find the one odd tree out of the group. There is always one that just does not fit in with the rest.

After passing through the Mays’ Mill Tunnel, I came upon the first possible exit point. I knew that this was not the Rockland trailhead and was almost certain to be Mays’ Mill Road. I thought of trying to follow the gravel trail to see if it did indeed take me to the road. This would cut a few miles off the trip and maybe be just a bit easier on my legs. I decided to pass on that option and headed for the Rockland trailhead as planned.

With a mile, I was at the trailhead and exited onto Rockland / Cranberry Road. I was greeted by a fast downhill run. It was very enjoyable, until I had to climb the hill on the other side. I started to climb the hill and was thankful, at least at first, that it was not as steep as the hill coming out of Brandon. But, the further I climbed, the less happy I became. Eventually, again, I had to dismount and walk for a while. My legs were hurting and the hill kept on going. I could only imagine that hills that were yet to come over the next 7 miles.

At that point, I decided to turn around yet again and head back to the Sandy Creek Trail. This was just not meant to be. I was sad and disappointed, but more importantly, sore. There is no way that I am interested in all of those peaks and valleys. I love the steady pace of the bike trail. I get into a good rhythm and can lose myself in the surroundings or in deep thought. There is just too much distraction in the hills.

Back on the bike trail, I decided to head back to the Belmar bridge and figure out where to go once I got there. As I traveled back, I started to get hungry. I thought it would be a good idea to cross the bridge to and stop at the picnic tables on the other side. There I could relax and give my legs a break as well as get some food and drink. I love snack time.

After my feeding, I thought that riding a few miles out the western portion of the Sandy Creek Trail would be perfect. I had not planned on riding the entire way to Fisherman’s Cove, but just a few miles. I made my usual stops for pictures and passed a man and woman out for a walk with cameras. I assume they were partaking in the autumn leaf action as well. There were quite a few people out on this section of the trail, even though the air was cold and the sun was barely shining.

With it being only 5 miles to “The Cove,” and being that good rhythm, I soon found myself nearing the end of the trail. I decided to follow the trail until the end. Even if I did ride to the end, it would only be a little less than a 30 mile trip today. So, why not?

I made it to the end in what seemed like no time at all. I was feeling alive again and decided to follow the gravel road, oddly enough named Fisherman’s Cove Road, leading away from the trail. The road followed Big Sandy Creek and was fairly smooth for a gravel road. I traveled for about a mile before turning back. I was slightly worried about my safety when I passed a pick up truck letting out 1 man with a rifle and wearing an orange hunting suit. I turned around right after that. I had no idea who was out hunting and how far away they were. I can only assume that they were all law abiding citizens who did not hunt it was not allowed. On the way back to the bike trail, I passed the other 2 hunters from the truck. They were heading east in the bike trail, to where, I do not know. I picked up the pace a little so that I could get a little closer to civilization and a little further from the great outdoors.

I rode back to the Belmar Bridge at a steady pace, stopping only twice for pictures. I was striving to get back home and keep my ride to under 3 hours. I had a great chance at accomplishing this, so I stopped again at the picnic area by the bridge for a second snack break. I ate quickly and was on my way.

The ride back north was flying by as I was all business heading back home. I stopped a few miles south of Franklin for bathroom break and to take a couple of pictures. With both of those missions accomplished, I continued riding hard to get home. My legs were sore and my neck and upper back were no too far behind. I was warm thanks to my layered clothing, but I could tell I was getting a little stiff from the cold. As it turned out, I would pay the price that weekend and into the following week. I was sore, sick and tired for the next week. I guess I am getting old.