More Photos Below!Gallery
Announcing the 1st Annual OYB Waterloo Ramble Rando! Saturday, May 12, start 11 a.m. (sound good?).
It’ll be a 30 mile loop of dirt roads around the Waterloo state park area of SE Michigan. It’ll take about 2.5 hrs.
These are small, quiet, hilly, winding roads in a glaciated area of mixed hardwoods, ponds, creeks and wetlands.
[Can any folks local to that area check the road conditions and let me know? We don’t want it loose and freshly graded.]
I’ll put up a route map here and have copies at the park (I’ll stash some under my windshield wiper for latecomers). We’ll meet at the McClure Rd. park HQ and do the ride. We’ll take a break at the halfway point to regroup and have snacks. (There’s a great road that is being let go back to the wilds which has a quiet woodlot overview of 2 marshes—a good picnic spot. Maybe mosquito spray is in order!)
Here’s a link to a couple preliminary maps that show the general area: www.waterloopinckneytrail.org. The maps are of the hiking trail but you can also see the dirt roads throughout the area.
I think the route I’ll take will start on McClure then run a counterclockwise loop to Cassidy, Harr, Munith, Moeckel (no cars!), Katz, Glenn, Pond Lily gravel pit lookout.
It’s a casual, informal event. It’ll be suitable for any kind of versatile bike. A roadbike with plump tires would be fine. Or touring bike or mtbike. 28mm tires or more.
It’ll be fun, scenic and rather challenging! I had to use 1st gear a few times. The route goes along a glacier ridge.
After the ride I think I’ll go on a little hike for about a half hour on a hilly little glacial trail that leaves from the McClure parking area. To shake out my legs and get even closer to the lovely scenery of the area. Maybe spy out a morel. Then I’d like to drive some dirt roads for about a mile north and put in my canoe at a pond that connects to a big impoundment—the marsh that crosses Waterloo road. I’d paddle that for maybe an hour or less. Then I’d like to go grab a beer in Chelsea. Anyone else like that line-up? I could bring a 2-man boat.
Waterloo area west of M52
Pinckney area east of M52
