Chicky night out...

WOO HOO!!!  Punkin's second trip to the trails was Tuesday on Mill Mountain.  I met PSchimi at the Discovery Center to put some MMTrail mileage under my wheels.  We headed down Ridgeline Trail first to the intersection, decided to continue down to the end of it.  Once there we debated route selection some more, decided on Woodthrush, Virginia Pine.  So we headed over to Woodthrush for a quick jaunt to VP.  Of course, the equestrians have done quite a number on VP.  There are hoof prints which amount to pot holes on a mountain bike all the way up and down the trail.  The trail is rough and barely rideable in places.  SAD SAD thing that this damage has occured to a new trail.  It acutally ticked me off!!!

We bounced to the end then climbed back up.  Continued down Woodthrush to a "path" to the road.  Once on the road, we added light to our ensembles then did a screaming down hill to Sylvan where we rode up to Crystal Springs Trail.  We casually rode along here chatting quite a bit.  Stopped while P fixed her chain then headed into the neighborhood to ride some alleys back to Fern Park.  

The hill up Fern Park's trail is a gradual trail that's not too bad.  I like it and it's a good way to add mileage to a MM Ride.   The weird thing about this trail is that it meanders a bit and I'm never sure where I am in reference to anything else.  We actually rode through some snow on this trail!  Hard to believe that there was any left since the daytime high was 70°F.  Climbed back up to Yellow Mtn Road where we decided to attempt to climb up Ridgeline.  This trail is steep, rutted and has always been a hard climb for me.  I rode quite a bit of it, but was forced into hike-a-bike a couple of times.  Oh well.  Once to the top, the ride to the intersection was interesting due to leaf cover.  I rode off the trail one time by about 2 feet.  Crazy!  The ride from the intersection to the parking lot didn't seem like it took all that long.  

Of course, I enjoyed being out and about on the bike.  It is wonderful to be able to ride without freezing, and I'm looking forward to many more miles on the trails on Mill Mountain.  They seem to have held up reasonably well considering our weather.  I figure with school, the proximity of these trails to work is going to help me keep riding!  It was a great night to be out, and I hope it was a sign of things to come!  I also am gaining a bit more confidence with the night riding after the MTX and now this ride.  YAY!!!