| 04/29/12 35m |
Rode 35 miles with loaded panniers. Started at Boggs and rode south-west. There were quite a few people out on the trail, even in the isolated sections that are usually empty. I was following one rider by about a minute, and when I reached the detour around MP20 the "rabbit" went straight ahead into the construction zone rather than taking the detour. I followed him, intrigued at what we'd see, and it seemed that the work crews were not there on Sunday and the new routing was sufficiently along to provide a nice ride.
In the photo above, the new train track will pass over the heavy-duty bridge where my bike is, and the trail will pass over a lighter bridge still bring built (on the left). Continuing along the rail-and-trail in progress, you can see where the railbed is and where the trail is; it looks like they're doing a very nice job.
Continued on the trail to the Morganza Road and Georgetown Road bridges. Signs on the roadway indicate that the roads will be closed for short periods this upcoming week, maybe that means the decks will be progressing. At Georgetown Road, instead of continuing on the Hahn Drive detour, I walked the bike up the bank (in the same manner as we once used there for trail access) and got right onto the trail. The detour is good and I'm glad we had it, but the trail is nicer.
I stopped at MP28.5, where the bridge observation decks look out over the stream (this is IMO one of the prettiest spots on the Montour Trail) and had a bar and a drink. Reversed course and stopped at MP25.5 to check out the campgrounds, I'll be spending a night there pretty soon as a final check on my camping gear.
Continued east, and at Venice I again eschewed the detour for the new trail-in-progress. The detour is good; it's well-marked and safe, and during the week I'll be using it again, but it was a treat to try "new trail".
At MP16 I encountered J and C on the trail, and we rode east together until I stopped at Boggs. Trail conditions were excellent, and it was a very nice ride.
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