This was not one of my more pleasant and uplifting rides. All the way out, taking the Post Road route to Draper Lake, I kept having to fiddle with the rear disc brake. Then, as soon as I entered the Draper Recreational Area, I realized my rear tire was going flat. It’s salvageable, but I didn’t want to use the temporary patches I carry, so I swapped out the tube and saved the old one. While I have an itty-bitty hand pump to inflate, there is no way to get a decent pressure level from that thing.
I should have known it would not be a fun trail today. A few years ago I rode some of the “better” dirt roads around the east side of the lake and it was not fun. Today I headed west along what would have been SE 104th, one of those survey section lines cut through the country side in early statehood days. As you can see, it was awfully rough. After cresting the rise, it became downright dangerous. Lots of exposed bedrock with hard drops punctuated with washouts that were very tough to pick my way across.
At the shore, I took the old shore trail northward around a swampy cove. There the trail was mostly solid from improvements (rubble and gravel) but very thoroughly overgrown. That was the best part of the ride. Following this thing around I came back to the continuation of the surveyor cut I came in on. It took me back to the last trail I rode, and I took that one back out because it was safer and more familiar.
There were no hidden treasures, not rewards from this workout except the exercise itself. I won’t be visiting eastern Draper Lake trails again.
Reblogged this on Still Another Photoblog.