Rob's Blog

Once again, my goal was to make it to Coal City. I was planning on heading down to the Sandy Creek Trail from Franklin and east to the Rockland trailhead where I would pick up Route 257. This seemed like the approach that would get me to Coal City and eventually Brandon without having to climb and super hills.

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.

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Well, it was not really the wrong way in terms of directions and navigation. But, it was the incorrect choice in planning. I wanted to go to Coal City. I do not think that there is much out there other than farms, but I thought it might be a nice change from the bike trails. So, I decided to ride to Brandon and out Brandon Road to Coal City Road, then up Rockland / Cranberry Road to the Rockland trailhead of the Sandy Creek Trail. I know that there is a difference in elevation between the Brandon and Rockland trailheads. I just did not know how much and how noticeable it was. I assumed a nice slight incline as noticed from Belmar to Van. I was wrong.

I started out by driving to Belmar to start from there. It had rained all weekend and the forecast was not reassuring. I figured the 10 mile savings round trip would be less than an hour of riding time, but may keep me dry and warm. It was a bit cold, so I dressed with my Under Armour shirt and pants beneath my golf rain gear. I was warm and feeling good.

I made it to Brandon in what seemed like no time at all and my good feeling was about to change. I immediately started up Brandon Road and quickly decided it should be called Brandon Mountain. The initial climb was insane. I had to shift into the shortest gear on the bike. This is the go anywhere gear and worked well for the climb. I could peddle while sitting and with very little strain. I made it to the top of this short climb and stopped for a photo of the signpost of the camp community.

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