Whenever I drive along a highway, I look out the window at the miles of woods assuming there are always trails in there somewhere. These days we have “Trailforks”, an app that downloads state maps of trails, dozens, no hundreds of trails in every direction. Using this reminds me of how we find camping/sleeping sites, but that is for another post.
With no fixed plan and only our daily thoughts about reservations, we decide by the seat of our pants. Now I know what that really means for us; when my butt hurts from driving we look for something to do. This time we saw trails available not far from our ridiculously long West-heading highway.
Trailforks did not disappoint. Oddly enough, we’ve known for a long time that better trails are always found near population centers (ie Baltimore has access to many miles of great trails). There are more people, more volunteers, more bike shops and collaboration to create and maintain good trails. South Bend, IN was no exception, Bristol, nearby had several options. The loops there were short, folded over themselves and sweepy-fun. We met locals who were all friendly and directed us only when we asked. We rode the usual ~10 miles, a bit over an hour of fun. After we settled in and cooked a quick veggie peanut-curry at a picnic table. All-in-all a win for a 5 minute detour from the progress West.
Keeping up with Jane
No, the big drum is not a mini-keg. It’s a small propane tank, about half the size of a grill bottle that fuels our stove or heater. It holds the equivalent of about 5 “green can” containers of propane without the environmental or recycling challenge.
David
The Voyage of the Tramper 