Quote:
Originally Posted by stevej37
^^^ Curt
There were several miles (25-30)mid-way in the trail that were not paved until this year.
Now, the trail is all paved and the new portions are smooth as can be....nice riding. I've done the 92 miles several times, but never all in one day. The section from Reed City to Cadillac is the best...desolate of any crossroads, completely wooded.
Yes, you see all types on the trail. The worst are the dog walkers that don't pay attention to what side of the trail the dog is. They expect bikers to stop while they pull their dog back to the right.
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Yeah, we rode the north section up by Big Rapids and Cadillac and I seem to recall several (mostly?) unpaved trails but they were very rideable with our road bikes (a few years before the advent of gravel bikes). Almost no traffic up that way and it was nice. But where we live now in FL, there are no rail trails and I ride on the road which I've always enjoyed. Vehicle traffic is not bad at all here in south-central FL. So the ride on the rail trail in MI was the first time in 6-7 years. I did not enjoy it at all. I've ridden many 100s of miles on that same trail in years past and it was OK. It wasn't just the incidents I described. It felt a bit claustrophobic. I guess I like the variety of conditions on the public roads and having my situational awareness on high alert at all times. Makes for a more interesting ride I guess
edit: Going by memory, the route we used to do was starting in Sanford Lake on the 'Midland Railtrail' heading west through Clare, Farwell and then Reed City and then turning north toward Cadillac. That was an out and back route and a long day in the saddle.