Rob's Blog

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.

I continued on my way up. The next little bit of road as a slight incline, leading to the mother of all hills. This is where the less than 1000’ to the greater than 1600’ climb is made. I really tried my best to climb this hill. The go anywhere gear got old real quick, as my feet were moving twice the speed of my bike. I was getting tired and had to get off the bike and walk for a while.

I walked until the hill leveled out a bit, going from the 15+% grade to something maybe only slightly less than 10%. That did not last for long and soon I was back walking again. I stopped for a photo of the Welcome to Brandon sign and a very large rock. I had no idea how close I was to the top of the hill, but decided to push on.

I got further up the hill, mostly by walking, and stopped for a wonderful view of the hills and river valley below. Breathtaking for sure. I continued up a little further until I thought I had reached the top, only to be disappointed to see that there was another hill awaiting me. At this point, I turned around and coasted down the hill. I quit.

The coasting down the hill was fun, but a bit scary at times. I was going as slow as I could and that was still in the middle 20’s. I had not gone that fast on this bike before, so I was cautious not to overdo it. Back in my younger days, I had taken my 10-speed bike up to 60 mph, but this was a rugged mountain bike. It felt like driving my old Ford Ranger when I got above 70 mph. I made it safely to the bottom in about 2 minutes, whereas the trip up took over a half an hour.

At the bottom, I went south for a couple of miles to the end of the paved trail. I had enough for one day and headed back north. The total trip was less than 20 miles, but the hill climbing took its toll. I was tired and sweaty…and out of water. I was heading back home, thankful that I decided to drive to Belmar instead of ride. I will try again next week, with a better plan of attack.