Monday, November 2, 2009

"Alone in the Blow Hole": TA Report River Highlands State Park

Date of Activity: October 31, 2009

Trail Ambassador Names: Glenn Vernes
Trail Ambassador Email: glennvernes33athotmaildotcom
Town: Cromwell
Location: River Highlands State Park
Trail(s) Ridden: Green, white, red, red/white, yellow/green, yellow/red
How did you use the trail? Mountain Bike
What was the time of day? Late Afternoon
Duration (Hours): 1.25

Distance (Miles): 7ish


Condition of Trail(s): Dry, leafy, with a lot of sticks and twigs.


Observations: A quick after work, before-the-rainstorm ride. A thick blanket of freshly fallen leaves, not yet compacted by rain, made the trail very hard to follow in places, and traction hard to find. Saw fresh dirt bike tracks (not on the singletrack), and a small bridge on the red/white trail has collapsed. Cleared numerous sticks and one small fallen tree.


It being Halloween, I paid a solo visit to the Devil's Blow Hole at the bottom of the red/white trail, where "one can hear the wind as it whistles past the bluffs" according to the park website. It was a very windy day and that, combined with the grey sky, naked trees, and waning daylight, made for a slightly spooky experience.

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