What do you do when you are having a hard time getting out for a ride? The reason could be laziness, business, or both. In my case, I’ve been a little lazy and I’ve certainly kept myself busy. Spend the weekend in Houghton? Wha…? Is that even possible?

The Keweenaw had the pleasure of a visit from Dave, a resident of “near” Grand Rapids. Wise Dave sent an email that was forwarded to the Keweenaw cycling community. He also contacted me directly. He was quickly informed of the various group rides, and he even accepted my short-notice ride commitment for a Tuesday afternoon jaunt through the woods.

I gave Dave the choice of choosing which trail system to ride. He chose Churning Rapids. Churning is predominately an intermediate trail system with lots of technical, rocky sections. Basically, just bring your full suspension bike and keep your weight off the front end.

I took Dave for the grand tour of the trails. We did almost every section of trail. I would periodically stop so I could breathe (the real reason) and point out various wildflowers and give a heads up about our location (the professional, blow smoke up your wazoo reason). I led the ride up the shorter, steeper sections of trail so we could enjoy the longer, fast sections of swooping singletrack. I found myself smiling and laughing quite a bit.

I love giving tours of our local trails. It is incredible fun. I think the part that I enjoy the most is the reaction people have. They are usually quite amazed, and they’re like a kid in a candy store simply because they are riding something different. That’s always fun.
____________________

Michigan Mountain Biking Examiner: Mid Michigan College Trail