It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood!!! Well, yes, it is sunny, warm and the clouds are few and far between. However, I’m in a good mood because of another great ride today. Yesterday morning I took the same trails into work as I always do, not willing to venture out and run the risk of getting lost or even just being late for work. Today, though, I said “So what?” So what if I get a little lost? With all the pine beetle kill around here, it’s not like I can’t see where I am… 
So, I came across Frolek’s land where the road forks and I always go right… Today I went left and climbed up. It was actually a tough little climb, uff da! Right away, I started second guessing myself and this decision. But, I got to the top of that climb, and then the “road” sort of disappeared. It seems that the logging was centralized here, meaning the machinery, logs and other debris were dragging around and through this section, making it quite tricky to traverse on a bike. However, I got through that, and found the trail I had mapped out last night on Google Earth. A neat little piece of single-track that winds along the hillside, dipping into the valleys slightly, and coming back out and around in a hurry. What a blast! One little section I bailed on, partly because I wasn’t ready for the rocky portion to work through, and partly because the trail forked and I wasn’t sure which way to go… However, I kept right and it was a good choice as I soon met up with my trail I had taken home yesterday and the day before. Great! I rode that trail down into Peterson’s creek, through the creek and back up the other side along the Billy Minor South trail. At the beginning, the trail was pretty steep which caught me off guard and I ended up stopping and walking a few feet. At the intersection of the Billy Minor trail and Tom Moore, I decided to go left (South) in hopes of meeting up with the Castle Tower's entrance into Peterson’s Creek that I’ve seen from Summit drive. Well, it wasn’t as close as I had hoped, and there was a lot of climbing involved, but all in all it wasn’t too bad. In fact, there was even a wooden path built over one section that I guess was too sandy for people to make it through, and it looks like maybe the whole hill was eroding away at some point?
Actually, this little wooden path was a bit tricky, as it was a bit of a climb and I had to keep the bike so straight and right down the middle so my handlebars wouldn't catch the railing! After that there were a couple of deep sandy portions, but I made it through them (they were on somewhat flat sections, so a bit easier that the sandy sections on the north trails). Finally, I climbed up and out and onto Summit drive. I turned and headed up Summit drive, and to my delight, I discovered that I was pretty close to the top already. I rode across Summit and then crossed the Merritt highway onto Hugh Allan. I rode down Hugh Allan a bit, and then turned and climbed up Howe street. This wasn’t much of a climb, and I was soon sitting at the intersection of Howe and Pacific Way. If I turned right, I would have a screaming fast down hill, and then would have to climb back up Hugh Allan like I usually do each morning. And if I did that, what was the point of getting off Hugh Allan and onto Howe in the first place? However, if I went straight across and continued on Howe, it looked like a bit of a climb. I knew it ended at a trailer park that was just above Pineview. However, what I didn’t know was if I’d be able to find a trail that connected that trailer park with Pineview, and would I have to turn back anyways?
Whatever, I had done a lot of exploring this morning and hadn’t been bit by any decisions yet, so I pressed on along Howe. The climb was a bit tough, kind of like a “mini” Hugh Allan hill actually. Same grade, same steep section around a bend, but about 1/4 as long (thankfully). At the top, I did find a trail so I cruised onto it and it was so much fun! But I soon realized that this trail was not in the least bit “direct”. It wound up and down, around and back and all over the place! It was a blast to be sure, though, and it generally kept heading in the right direction so I kept going. The whole time, though, I was paranoid that it would eventually point down and take me to Costco or something and I’d have to climb back up Hugh Allan anyways! However, it wound around the hill, and suddenly I could see that I was just up and above the new housing development (Ridgepointe) and soon the trail worked it’s way over and finally dropped me down into the housing area where I finally got onto the streets and then cruised down Copperhead to work.
What a blast! I don’t think I want to do that trail every day, and probably not on my way home (too long), but it was so much fun I’m sure I’ll ride it again. I will be checking out Google maps/earth again this afternoon to see if I can find another, more direct trail to try and then I’ll try that home.
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