Gravel Dazzle

Often we ride by roads and wonder where they go. A map is just a direction and a tease of what might be. The question won’t be answered until we turn off our familiar roads and explore for ourselves. In the Upper Left Hand Corner, gravel roads are plentiful, and something besides skinny tires may be helpful—especially as we tilt upwards.

I had been making a list of these roads in my head during the past couple years. Jilly Whiting introduced me to many above and around the hamlet of Loran. Last Saturday, we joined forces with Andreas Ruppert from Galena’s GOATS Cycling Club and covered 32 miles over everything from deep muddy ruts to Fiat gulping chuckholes on Hairpin Road.

This Saturday, I planned to park at Massbach Ridge Winery and ride west and north. Alas, I arrived there without my cycling sandals. VivoBarefoot shoes do not work well on Speedplay Frogs, so we aborted that plan and returned to Freeport for correct footwear.

Thereafter, nearly an hour and forty minutes behind schedule, I devised an alternate route from Loran that could take me over uncharted roads in the hills west of Pleasant Valley. From there, we’d continue west over to Hanover then return through Massbach and Pleasant Valley to Loran.

Once again, the Salsa Las Cruces cyclo-cross bike clad with Schwalbe Marathon tires seemed the only logical tool for this excursion into the unknown.

Today was sunny in the low 60s. I forgot about the delayed start and looked forward to riding into the light and shadows of late afternoon. Here is my recap of roads not yet travelled:

HEADING WEST OUT OF PLEASANT VALLEY: We turned west off Hwy 78 on Goodmiller and then left on Beck Road. The we quit the valley up a very sharp but PAVED hill, turned left at Good Hope Road and rode southwest across the high farm fields to Elizabeth Road. Along the way, I slowed to assist a young couple lost and looking for Massbach Ridge Winery.

HEER TO CURTISS TO GAMBLE HILL: We first did this leg in mid-winter over snow covered frost bitten gravel where we met a hunkered down peacock on the roof of a barn. Today, we encountered two lost souls on skinny tires at the bottom of Curtiss Hill steep and piled up with loose gravel. These pleasant lads were riding overland from Hanover to Savanna and thought the paved portion of Gamble Hill Road might offer a good short cut.

This is certainly a very scenic option. It passes by mysterious Lake Fitzgerald serenely tucked away in a valley. Although, skinny road tires are ‘pas utile’ here. I imagine they were obliged to walk the bikes up to the top of Curtiss Hill.

RETURNING FROM HANOVER: Steele Road lies just outside town as you begin a big 13% climb up Hanover Road to Rocky Water’s Vineyard. We rode north following the Apple River until Steele turned away east across the valley. Soon, we were sitting back in the saddle grinding our way up to Pleasant Hill Road. From there, we rolled leisurely on beautiful Reusch Road capped by a paved climb up to Derinda.

LIEBERT – LOVE IT OR LIEB IT: This road is paved as we descended eastbound to the creek at the valley floor. From there we jogged right and left on rude gravel willing our way up and up and up again to Massbach Road. If you have climbed up to Massbach on Skene or Bethel Roads, you can only imagine what it is like to do this on fidgety limestone.

BACK TO PLEASANT VALLEY ON THOREN, GOOD HOPE, GOODMILLER & KNAPP: The shadows were beginning to lengthen as I turned east off Massbach on Thoren Road. Thoren falls leisurely until we met a steep tight slippery hairpin left turn. We then continued north and immediately east on Thoren up the hill to the intersection with Good Hope Road. Here, we turned right on Good Hope then left on Goodmiller. Good deal!

We followed Goodmiller easterly straight into a left turn on Knapp Road. The afternoon sun shimmered across Pleasant Valley. Released from gravel’s grip, I dropped precipitously down to Route 78 on real tarmac. Here was the grand finale to our expedition this Saturday!

RETURN TO LORAN OVER HAIR’PIT’ ROAD: We followed Willow Road back to Loran via Hairpin, Goldmine, and South Loran Roads. Along HairPIT someone had scrolled the name and phone number of a guy named John. No doubt, John is the township road guy. I wonder if John is a collector of auto and bike parts which he nips off with his cavernous chuckholes.