# Sunny Surprise - Burlington, CT 2009-10-17



## WoodCore (Oct 17, 2009)

With the weather that had been predicted for this weekend not in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be able to get in the amazing ride that managed to unfold today. After being off the bike for two consecutive days for the first time since probably July I was getting a little stir crazy and really dying to get a ride in no matter what the conditions. I saw that a break in the precipitation was forecast for this morning and decided to take advantage and get a ride in! None the less waking up this morning to bright blue skies and a crisp breeze was completely unexpected and immediately put a big smile on my face.

Started my ride from East Chippens a little after 10am and rode the following:

E. Chippens>4-way>Truck Trail>B-Street>Brians Trail>4-way>Downhill>BSB>Scoville>Cemetery Twisties>FKC>Surveyors Trail?>Blue Trail>Cornwall DH>Hinman>Jonnycake Climb>Orchard DH>Scoville Road>Jug>Scoville Twisties>Skidder Road>WC Bypass>E.Chippens>4-way>Truck Trail>Blue Trail>Bushwack back to the car.

The loop came in at 12.21 miles with 2100 feet of climbing. Rolled it in around 2.5 hours. 

It was a little chilly starting off today for sure but as soon as I turned off East Chippens and onto the trails I never felt cold again and actually worked up a good sweat from time to time. Had a great warmup on the Truck trail>B-Street>Brian's Trail. 












Actually had to stop and remove quite a few trees and other debris that was blocking the trail especially on Brian's trail near the rock. The combination of fall foliage and the recent snowfall apparently do not mix well regardless, happy that I thought to bring my folding saw with me today as it came in quite handy for sure!

The Cemetery Twisties rolled great today and as I neared the backside climb was thinking about how many leaves have already fallen so far this fall! Amazing how the lines of visibility in the forest have really opened up, especially in the last week. 











After clearing the cemetery I headed over towards the FKC only to be greeted by more downed trees blocking the trail.  The first one encountered was new since Wednesday and likely a product of the rough weather the last few days. None the less, thanks to my folding saw both have been taken care of! 

Before:







After:






Had the usual slog up the Fat Kid and after not clearing the middle section again opted to take a right onto the Surveyor's Trail? and then back on to the Blue Trail towards the Cornwall DH. Rolled the ridgeline without a dab, bombed the DH and basically rode super clean right up until crossing Route 69. The first part of the Hinman was a tough ride today with all the leaves on the ground and ended up dabbing frequently. 











Anyway, after finishing off the rest of the Hinman I battled up the Jonnycake climb and cruised down through the orchard. 







When arriving at Scoville Road I decided to head back east on the road and make a lap on the Jug and then into the remnants of the Scoville twisities. Instead of heading back to the car after reaching East Chippens, I decided to head back up to the 4-way and out on the truck trail but taking a right on on the blue trail at top of the rock ledges this time. WOW! Definitely some great stuff to roll here! Regardless, found a way to easily link it in with the AZ preferred parking location. :beer:

Had a great rip today for sure!


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## bvibert (Oct 18, 2009)

Great TR and cool pictures!  I can't even make out the trails with all the leaves that have fallen.


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## MLegg (Oct 18, 2009)

Loved reading the report, especially with the pictures added! Have found that other riders REALLY appreciate the TM work although few ever get the chance to tell you. Spent an hour clearing trails  yesterday up on Johnnycake. The storm did take down a lot of trees and the heavy snows bent many saplings over the Stone Road trails. Lots of work to do!

Keep the reports and pics coming. Love 'em.


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## rueler (Oct 18, 2009)

Nice looking ride you did there! From a trail perspective, it is amazing the amount of leaves and blowdowns that have happened over the last week or so. There's a REALLY big one over on the soccer side that Mlegg and I have seen. 

On a side note...having another set of hands to help keep the trails we ride tidy is a good thing. The efforts are very noticeable and helpful to keeping the trails riding consistently. :beer: well done!  There's another armoring project to look at soon...interested??


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## WoodCore (Oct 18, 2009)

MLegg said:


> Loved reading the report, especially with the pictures added! Have found that other riders REALLY appreciate the TM work although few ever get the chance to tell you. Spent an hour clearing trails  yesterday up on Johnnycake. The storm did take down a lot of trees and the heavy snows bent many saplings over the Stone Road trails. Lots of work to do!
> 
> Keep the reports and pics coming. Love 'em.



Thanks MLegg! Hopefully a few more TR's before ski season sets in! 

Anyway I'm enjoying the TM work that I've done lately and it's becoming somewhat of a habit of late to take a few minutes of each ride and do a little work here and there. I'm sure it's appreciated by other riders regardless, It is very satisfying to me to be able to finally give back a little to a place that I've taken so much enjoyment from this summer. 

:beer:


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## WoodCore (Oct 18, 2009)

rueler said:


> There's another armoring project to look at soon...interested??



For sure! Anything to help out! :beer:


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