Only one week to go before the Maple City Century, a 100 mile gravel ride in northern Wayne County. Since I’m way behind in my prep for this event, I figured I needed to just get out and hit the gravel for 3+ hours.

At 76 degrees at 11am, I left right from my house and pedaled up through a deer trail and onto Five Mile Meadow Road. I made a left on Standing Stone Trail and continued right through the creek bed that was almost completely dry. About 1.5 miles in, I noticed some of the tree line on the left had been missing. As I turned a corner, I was shocked to see a few trucks and some equipment moving large quantities of wood.

The right side of the road had been logged about 8 years ago. A large fence protects the area from deer and anything that would kill the vegetation. I guess I’ll have to deal with the same thing on the other side of the road. Just another section of the Delaware State Forest that has that bare look consistent with logging.

Back to the ride. I made a left on Silver Lake Road and cruised up to Little Mud Pond for a loop through that cool little community, then over to Flat Ridge Road for a fast 4.5 mile push to the Burnt Mills Extension. This is about as rough as double track can get. Getting through the parking lot and over to Pine Flats, I dropped over to Hay Road and through another logged area. After a quick exploration up the West Hay Extension, I wandered over to the Buckhorn Lodge and through to Beaver Run Road.

I turned around when the private property signs were on just about every other tree. That made me believe that my presence would not exactly be welcomed. It was time to head home anyway. I simply backtracked all the way home. On the way, I noticed a stone structure peeking through the trees. I realized, this is where the Buckhorn Lodge stood before the forest fires of 2 summers ago.

I got 42 miles in. Not horrible, but not too bad a week out. I’ll get a couple of road rides in this week and eat clean. I know I have a good shot at finishing, so long as I get there.

What’s playing (what am I listening to while writing or what’s dancing around in my head while riding) Today – Eddie Money – Wanna be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star