My friend Dave and I had been trying to connect for a ride all last week, but schedules and conditions conspired against us. We did, however, get out for a New Year’s Day ride. He came up with a great idea that would take mixed terrain to the next level. Here’s a map.

Even though temperatures the day before had climbed to nearly 60 degrees, it was in the 30s during our ride. However, the strong south winds remained.

We rolled out.

Along the way, we ran into Doug, a friend of Dave’s who I’ve ridden with a couple of times before. We talked to him and his wife for a few minutes before going our separate ways.

There were some good hills, and nice views, along Ketcham Road.

After about nine miles, we reached the Cedar Bluff Nature Preserve.

We locked our bikes in a ditch …

… and headed out on foot to hike the trail. I guess you could call this a mixed-mode adventure!

The creek was high …

With pervasive evidence of beavers …

The trail became more rugged, involving careful rock-stepping alongside the creek.

Here I am making my way across some rocks (photo by Dave).

Looking up at the bluff.

The bluff is a very narrow point.

I was testing some new hiking/biking shoes. I’ll write about them later. First impressions are positive.

This was my first time on the trail, while Dave had hiked it many times before. His knowledge came in very handy. He knew the best place to stop and skip rocks in the creek.

Now we had a scramble up the back side of the bluff, on wet, leaf-covered, mossy rocks. Needless to say, they were quite slick. We made it up without incident, with Dave making it look like a breeze.

The top afforded us excellent views.

It’s odd to see the cedars growing right out of the rock.

The back side of the bluff had a ravine with a creek in it.

We enjoyed a snack while we took in the views. What a great spot!

Now, it was time to walk back down the way we came. Once again, it was tricky.

Here I am coming back down (photo by Dave).

Once again, Dave made quick work of it and got down off the bluff well before me.

Now we had to retrace our steps back on the rocky creek shore.

Dave pointed out this very funny pair of trees, known as the “upside-down lady.”

It wasn’t a long hike, mileage-wise (maybe 1.2 miles) but it was a tricky one, and we took time to explore.

We got back on our bikes and rode back, taking a different route that added a few miles but had fewer hills.

Soon, we had a tailwind. Sweet!

We turned onto Gore Road, a new road for me and a great find. Thanks to Dave for showing me this alternative to Old State Road 37!

We still had to spend some time on Old 37, but Gore Road avoided a few miles of it in fine fashion.

We made our way back to my house. Ride + hike together totaled 21 miles or so, but neither part was easy. This was a lot of fun, and we already have ideas for other, similar outings.

I took a break from biking and hiking the next couple of days, and spent some quality time with my wife. The break was much-needed, as was our time together. Now I feel refreshed and ready for all the craziness that this year has in store for us.

I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year!

On Saturday, we hiked Trail 2 at Brown County State Park. We had hiked this trail once before. It’s a moderate 2-mile loop. I enjoyed the sign at the trailhead with lots of data about the trail.

The trail features numerous rock bridges, stairs, and other structures.

We walked past some of the cabins, which are available for rental. We noticed they had a whole lot of windows. They looked like a fun place to spend a weekend. If we didn’t live so close, we would consider staying in a cabin like these.

This bridge seems funny now, with the creek completely dry from the drought. Even when it is running, I’m sure it’s a small stream.

As you can see, Rob was enjoying himself thoroughly!

As were the bipeds.

The trail winds through a ravine for a while.

And eventually you reach the North Observation Tower. We didn’t go up in the tower, although we have been in it before.

It was an incredibly beautiful day, and we especially enjoyed looking up at the beautiful blue sky through the remaining foliage.

At one point, Rob insisted that I take his photo. He is a photogenic dog, I have to admit.

These stone steps led back up to the Abe Martin Lodge area, where we had started.

It was a perfect day to be out hiking, and we all enjoyed going for a walk through the woods together. Not every outing has to be epic.

The traffic at Brown County has already died off significantly. Once the leaves are past their peak, you’ll find a lot fewer people in the park. That just leaves more room for the rest of us.

Last weekend, Sarah and I hiked the Lake Trail at Yellowwood State Forest. Well, sort of. We don’t like half of it, so we do the half we do like as an out-and-back. This way, we have lake views most of the time. Here’s a map of our hike.

It was a gorgeous fall day, highs in the 60s, sunny … perfect, really. It felt good to hike again. Aside from another hike the previous weekend, I’ve hardly hiked since my foot surgery in the spring. Then again, we usually do most of our hiking during the winter anyway.

The lake level reflects how dry things are here. The field below is usually part of the lake.

Some leaves are starting to turn. Some just died and fell off the branches, due to the dry weather. Others are still green.

This is a creek … usually.

Below is a creek crossing that can be tricky, at times. Now it’s dry, you can just walk right across.

You can sort of see below that much of the lake has no water in it. It looks like a big field or a mud pit in the photo. That’s normally lake.

Sarah sure was enjoying herself.

Again, the big open area is normally all water. Now it looks like there’s just a small stream.

Of course, Rob ran into the water on numerous occasions, getting extremely muddy in the process. It was gross, but he loved it!

You can sort of see some switchbacks in this next shot. These help make the climb more gradual.

As we neared the dam side, the lake had water in it. The clouds looked ominous, but we didn’t get any rain.

We lingered on the dam for a while, taking photos and enjoying the view.

Then, we turned around and went back the way we came. We hiked around 4.8 miles. It was a wonderful fall day for a hike.  I look forward to cooler weather, it makes hiking even better!