Task 96 - Go Mountain Biking 10 times (Callahan State Park)

(96) Go mountain biking 10 times (9/10)

Location: Callahan State Park
Distance: 2.73 Miles
Time:        32:27 Minutes

Excited to try something new my brother and I had decided to check out Callahan State Park today. We picked the entrance on Edmand’s Rd. After getting all our gear on and the bikes off the rack we began the ride. About 100 yards into the woods down the trail we were faced with a pretty steep incline. I grabbed onto my grab bars and powered up the hill and it was a killer. I stopped at the top and looked back to see my brother on the ground. After what seemed like forever he joined me at the top and I discovered that he had not been had a good gear ratio at the start and couldn’t have made it up the hill and fell to the ground as a result of being clipped into his peddals. 

We continued on and went downhill at a slightly less steep incline. The trails had lots of loose rock and sand with exposed tree roots which made for a difficult ride. Once we got to the bottom of that hill the trail leveled out and was no more than a tire tread in thickness. Eventually the trail surfaced near the meadows where there were a significant number of dog owners with their unleashed dogs roaming free. 

Unleashed dogs wouldn’t be an issue for me except that the dumb dogs seemed to want to explore who and what I was on the crowded trail and I almost ran a few over. We continued on through a few more narrow trails before ending up near the south entrance and the Earthen Dam. The dam was very cool and had some good trails leading to and from it in a variety of directions. 

We rode along the earthen dam but annoyingly there was a lady talking on her cell phone while looking down at the ground unaware of her surroundings and walking like a drunken sailor. My brother just sneaked past her without hitting her. To avoid a collision I announced myself by saying “on your left” and I clearly startled her and she jumped. She was so engrossed in her conversation that she was oblivious to those around her also trying to enjoy the park. As I rode by she called me a jerk. It took everything in me not to stop and tell her what a stupid inconsiderate bitch she was.  

With no great trails from here we opted to head back down through where we had come. My brother went down the side of the earthen dam before me making it to the bottom only to fall off the trail landing on his back crossing the small bridge. I road down the hill next but rather than try to jump the bump at the bridge I stopped to get off.

We continued back through the meadows and began the long trek up that slightly less steep hill but it just seemed to go on and on and on and I couldn’t make it. I was forced to walk the last 100ft or so. Once at the top we looked down the very steep hill and I carefully descended down the hill with the loose rocks below me. Once at the bottom we were close to the cars and I think both happy to be done with this ride. 

We quickly packed up our gear and hit the road. While having dinner afterwards we both agreed that it was a less then fun excursion. Between the steep hills, the unleashed animals and their inconsiderate owners, we definitely did not enjoy ourselves.