Mitch's Btown Blog
Bikes, Hikes, Music, Mushrooms
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Retired boomer, out to walk my dogs, ride my bike, and hike the forest paths around Monroe County Indiana. Recently found ADHD runs in my family, and apparently gallops in me…
Category: Biking Bloomington
About Biking around South Central Indiana, rides and routes around town and in Monroe County
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I love waterfalls, and take pictures of them when I find them on my rides. Northeast of Bloomington, Bean Blossom creek flows north to northwest until it flows into the West Fork of the White River. One Sunday, Jojo and rode along Bottom Road. Its about five miles of “flat” riding up to the…
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Here is an interview I did on WTTS about bike safety issues in Bloomington. They asked me as a member of the Bloomington Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Commission, but I did not speak officially for the group, but for myself as a concerned biker/ped. I know I sound like Oscar the Grouch, but just today…
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Eileen and I vacationed in Chicago in August, and on the first day we rented a tandem bike at Millennial Park, and started riding north. We found the path a bit crowded, but everyone seems to get along fine, no crashes. We passed the volleyball courts, and rode out on a pier. I got my…
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Waterfalls are special places, maybe it’s the ions, the water vapor, the sound, the whole experience is magical, waterfalls have a spirit, and each one is unique. This waterfall runs most of the year, and is visible from Mt. Gilead Rd. The small branch that falls into Stephan’s Creek runs for about a half mile…
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After our great Virginia bluebell find last week, I was anxious to get to the Morgan-Monroe forest, where in years previous I’ve found the rare yellow lady-slipper. It was Sunday morning and we figured the highway would be pretty empty, so we headed out 10th St., and rode SR. 45 straight out to Tunnel Road,…
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[Updated Sept 5] I’ve been using Google Earth for the last year to line out new rides, and by measuring the distance and elevations of the various hills, I’ve come up with Mitch’s Hill Toughness Quotient (MHTQ). The formula is simple, I divide the rise in elevation feet by the distance in miles, this is…
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When I first started taking longer rides in the country, I worked out several loops that I could do before work at 10 am. One of my favorites was the 23.6 mile loop that included 3 miles in the Kerr Creek valley, and 3 miles along Brummett’s Creek. Jojo and I were starting late on…
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We took off a bit late at 3 pm, and headed out for Bottom Road. We usually ride through Cascades Park, now that the speed limit is 20 mph, it feels really safe for bikes. The climb past the monastery is short enough that you feel good and warmed up by the time you crest…
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Wahoo! Another year of ice riding on Lake Monroe (and Griffy), you know, I sometimes worry the ice will not form (like in 2007). But this year the ice has been over 4 inches thick for over three weeks, and had many different faces. And yes, I wear my sandals (and 2-3 pairs of socks)…
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If you’ve ridden the Hilly Hundred when it went east, the killer climb comes right after lunch. After riding the gentle valley north out of Nashville, you run smack dab into Bear Wallow Hill. It has has the largest rise of the climbs in our region, starting at 692′ in the valley to 1010′ on…
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