Rides Mitch on 21 Jan 2008 03:00 pm
Cold Earl Young Hill
Jojo had to work, so I went out in the late afternoon to ride in the 30 degree weather. A light frosting of snow covered the hills, but the roads were clear, though there was a lot of grit to keep me watching the roadway. I rode past Lake Griffy, which had about an inch of ice, not enough to walk on yet, so I headed up the hill. I ran into Jim Rosenbarger and we rode down Bethel Lane and then north on Boltinghouse Rd. The hill, one of the steepest in the county, was covered with grit, I put down both feet to steady myself, and Jim rode his brakes the whole way. We parted when he started up Nehrt Rd, while I stayed on Earl Young.
The creek crossing on Earl Young was frozen slush and ice, there is a unique sign before you cross and head up the incredibly steep and icy gravel road. I saw a big four wheeler get stuck trying to cross, spraying ice water eight feet into the air. The driver had to get out and engage his front wheel drive to get through. I walked up the road, and watched in wonderment as an overloaded Buick headed down the road, and of course got stuck, I could hear them yelling as I crested the hill. There was no way to push the Buick through the ford, they were going to need a tow truck.
I rode up to SR 45 and headed north to Mt. Gilead, and then down Gettys Creek to Kerr Creek and town. I would rather climb the hill and ride an extra mile or so than ride on the highway. I considered cutting through Birdie Gaylan, but it is still hunting season and it was getting dark.
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on 11 Feb 2008 at 11:28 pm 1.Biking the Hoosier Uplands, Winter 2008 » McGowan Rd. back country ride said …
[...] a little onto the ridge. There was the same “Seasonal Access only” sign that I found on Earl Young Rd., and you can see they mean right at the start. We rode along the rough gravel, which is [...]