Wheat Stubble

Great Lakes Bay Regional Trail - A Rail Trail in Progress

Bay County to Saginaw County Connection

Bridge over a Saginaw River tributary near Stony Island.

The Bay County to Saginaw County Connection, part of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Trail, starts from Bay City's west side along the Saginaw River toward Zilwaukee, or Saginaw County. The trail begins as an overgrown two track path instead of the expected abandoned railroad bed with an occasional railroad tie poking up through the dirt. Bushwhacking through the thick weeds, branches and mosquitos finally takes you to a river crossing over a refurbished trestle. After the trestle, the trail continues over freshly laid gravel and on to a second river crossing near Stony Island where the historic Skull Island Massacre took place just to the north.

The beginning. A rail trail?

The connection transforms through various stages.

Or a path?

Two track. And plenty of Stealth Camping opportunities...

Freshly laid and rolled stone. Progress.

Turns back to two track.

Wildlife abounds.

Approximately halfway through the connection the trail peters out. From here the trail is incomplete and I followed the alternate route - if the proposed rail trail along the river is not secured. Hopefully the alternate route won't be used since it is simply a utility road through a wildlife refuge. While riding on this straight two track I came upon two hunters who were sighting in a rifle along the path and I feared getting a stray bullet in the head...

Alternate route through Crow Island State Game Area.

The alternate route isn't very scenic - hopefully the connection will follow the rail line along the river. 

The connection ends near the Zilwaukee Bridge seen in the far distance.

Winter Takes its Toll

Each year the mixture of road salt and slush eats away at my beater.

Last Tuesday

Another gravel grinder in the Thumb. I had a bit of a lot of trouble with wind noise in the audio and will either try to attach some sort of wind filter to the camera body, or just put an audio track over it in the future. Or maybe do both.

Experimental Video

I'm weary of posting the same old bike in a landscape photo so here are a few videos.




They're just snippets and eventually I'll to learn how to tweak the audio as I fiddle with the video software.

My Favorite Time of Year

Despite the many signs of spring - birds and waterfowl returning to nest in the north, trees greening and blossoming, farmers preparing their fields - temperatures were still in the thirties when I left home Saturday morning for a 30-mile gravel ride in the Thumb. Had the winter riding gear on starting off and should have planned for the warmer afternoon temps, but that's okay, the extra layer helped sweat off a few of those added winter pounds.



It's still hard to believe that everything growing is about a month ahead of schedule, and I haven't heard anyone complaining about the early warmth. Shoot, I even enjoyed getting chased by a yapping little ankle-biter that tried to take a hunk outta me - must be the weather.

So it's all good for the next five months as we break into my favorite time of year. That said, Old Man Winter can kiss my lycra-clad butt good-bye!

Vernal Equinox and Vernal Pools

Ah, spring! Renewal, a fresh start! Leaving dirty ol' winter behind - I love it!

Not that we had much of a winter, but signs of spring are about a month ahead of schedule. This past week temperatures reached into the seventies each day and the forecast for today and tomorrow are in the eighties - no way this could be global warming.

So I decided to take advantage of these summer-like temps with a ride to Tobico Marsh. Pedaling along the 3.5-mile trail that crosses and skirts numerous vernal pools, I'd occasionally catch an earful of croaks and peeps - the mating call of Wood Frogs and Northern Spring Peepers.


Who knew frogs could make such a racket?

In the video you can see ripples made from the frogs croaking and searching for a mate. I wasn't able to get close for video so I used a long lens to capture a solitary Wood Frog.

South End Rail Trail

A friendly reminder and not too subtle warning to hooligans using the rail trail.

Indian Summer Gravel Ride

Got out for one more gravel ride in the Thumb as temps hit the low 60's. The snow will fly soon and we probably won't see weather like this for another five months, so this post is a lil' something to help get me through the cold winter...

Pere Marquette State Trail - West from Clare

I picked the perfect autumn day for a color tour on the Pere Marquette State Trail west from Clare. While the course is not yet complete and the pavement ends at Baldwin, the portion I rode was awesome.

Maumee River towpath

Mr. OCTOber "conkars de rapids" of the Maumee River just west of Toledo, Ohio.

It was a glorious fall day when Mr. OCTOber (no, not Reggie Jackson) and I converged in northwestern Ohio to ride the Maumee River towpath that was formerly a part of the Miami and Erie Canal.
Besides enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of this pastoral trail, local landmarks along the route made this trip that much better. Historical markers explain the significance of the Ohio Electric Railroad Bridge, Roche de Boef, and the Bowling Green Fault. Near the end of the towpath is the Isaac Ludwig Mill featuring a working saw and grist mill, and an authentic mule-drawn canal boat on an original section of the Miami and Erie Canal.


All images ©2010 Daniel Staudacher
While the 16-mile out-and-back towpath trail is not at all challenging if you're looking for that hardcore mountain biking experience, it's still a good ride.

The Rock

It was a trip intended to be the last hurrah of summer...

An overnight S24O bikepacking trip to a 120-foot limestone precipice overlooking Lake Huron that is part of the Niagara escarpment.

But it was hot, humid, and the deer flies were biting. Savagely.

Oh, and getting lost more than once didn't help...


All images ©2010 Daniel Staudacher

So, forget about the poor trail markings, and the seemingly endless hike-a-biking around too, too many water-filled ATV scars. Forget about the less than ideal light and running out of water.

Yep, it was still a great time.

Tour de Thumb

Took an out-and-back 65-mile ride in Michigan's "Thumb" region today.

A former resident once told me, "It's a place where the 30's lasted until the 60's, a great place and time to grow up. Now it's a bedroom village - the business district is a ghost town."

Ah, yes, I love those ghost towns most of all. They are like little time machines to me and I'm fascinated by the remnants of that bygone era.


I have a feeling there's more to discover...

Images © 2010, Daniel Staudacher

Spring Showers

...almost guarantee you'll have the trail all to yourself.

Image ©2010, Daniel Staudacher

Ghetto Cam

Took the Ghetto Cam out for a test spin after brainstorming the idea Saturday and then cobbling it together Sunday to see how much wobble may occur - not too bad really. Unfortunately it has no audio but what do you expect from a $60 "disposable" camera?



LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Kids, don't try this at home. Using a hose clamp on your brain bucket in this manner may compromise the helmet's structural integrity and thus compromise your noggin and health should you take a tumble.




Looking forward to posting more footage after riding a real mountain biking trail...

JACKPOT! Well, not really

Continuing with the "No, I Didn't Get a DUI... " alcohol-related cycling theme post, I found these unopened 24-ounce tall boys today during my travels.

It's not my brand but you can't argue with free beer.

Image © 2010, Daniel Staudacher || Bay County, Michigan.

"No, I Didn't Get a DUI..."

...I replied, amused, after a neighbor of my parents asked if I lost my license.

Funny, some folks just assume people riding during the winter are either "the have-nots" or had their license revoked.

Didn't even try to explain.

Image © 2010, Daniel Staudacher || Bay County, Michigan.

End of the Season?

About a year ago someone told me that they never learned how to ride a bike.

I was, and still am, astounded.

After riding pretty much every day for the last four months, it's probably time to hang it up for the year. With the temperature at 19˚ and a wind chill just above zero, it's really starting to get miserable out there. It's not so much the temperature or the wind chill, but pedaling into a 30-mph wind. Like just about any other outdoor activity, it's quite comfortable if you dress for the weather.

Can't wait 'til Spring.

Image © 2009, Daniel Staudacher || Bay County, Michigan.