I've been wanting to do ride a loop from my house through several connecting trails throughout Webster. Since a good portion would be road and path, it would be an easier ride. I also raised my seat a bit hoping it would help my back.
I rode on the street from my house to Webster Park. I knew there was an unmarked trail-head on the eastern most side of the park. From there I rode the trails, only slightly knowing where I was going. I don't normally go through Webster Park this way. It wasn't long before I was on part of my typical route and I headed out to Whiting.
My trip through Whiting was very direct. I know these trails well and my goal was to pass through: blue to orange to red to white, exiting at Pellet Rd.
Across Pellet Rd I entered into the Gosnell Big Woods. This is a pedestrian only trail, so I hiked through, pushing my uni. As a board member of the Friends of Webster Trails, I especially feel obligated to honor the no-riding rules of this trail, and I did. But I have to say I don't see the issue. While the woods may contain very old trees, I can't see how riding on the trails would be a problem. The trail surface appears to be like any trails in Webster and the trees would not be damaged from riding. Perhaps this will be changed in the future. I think it should.
As I pushed my uni along, I encountered a group doing trail work. It was Alisa, a board member of FWT who has been coordinating many scout projects in our parks. Today the project was to build some benches and extend a bridge with boardwalks. I stopped briefly to say hi and continued on my way. Nice work!
Once out of the Big Woods I rode around the Big Field, crossed Vosburg Rd and entered Vosburg Hollow. It only took a few minutes to ride through Vosburg and I was onto the Hojack Trail.
Aside from the street crossings, I rode in high gear on the Hojack and made good time. The Hojack was recently extended so I stayed on it the whole way to check it out on my muni. Another option would have been to take the Bird Sanctuary Trail to the Chiyoda Trail, which I would probably choose next time. The new length of the Hojack was made by compacting road millings. It works, but it's pretty boring. We need some log piles or skinnies along the way to make it interesting. Haha.
Finally I hit the end of the Hojack and headed up Philips Rd towards home. This road has a relatively new bike lane but it's so flat and straight that once you've seen 10 feet of it you've seen it all. I was able to stay awake for most of it.
Along the way I pushed pretty hard to make good time and there were a few good hills to climb on the trails. My back didn't bother me too much. Overall it was a fun outing.
I forgot to turn my GPS logger on until I got to Webster Park, but I added the missing road section using Google maps.
The trip was about 13 miles.
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