CRAMBA: Pontiac Lake

[Critter7r]

Rode yesterday. Poison ivy seemed to be a non-issue. Not that i did any off-trail excursions. Well, I almost did when I came around an off-camber blind right-hand downhill curve in the first mile and almost ran over a dog and his walker. He had the dog under control and was working to get out of the way, and I was still skidding sideways to avoid them. Apologies all around. Some - ok most - of the uphills are some degree of loose and there are a lot of exposed roots and the seemingly unavoidable widening of the trail in some of those areas. Overall, the trail was fast and dry. The rock garden after the long, righ-hand sweeper could use a fluffing, all the rocks are pretty much driven into the ground and unable to roll around at all, which kinda takes the pucker-factor out of it.

[champ128]

How fast does Pontiac Lake generally dry out? I would love to get a morning ride in, but I'm not sure with today's rain. It looks like a trail that dries up quickly.

[irishpitbull]

How fast does Pontiac Lake generally dry out? I would love to get a morning ride in, but I'm not sure with today's rain. It looks like a trail that dries up quickly.

Considering how dry it has been out there I'm sure it will be ready. I'm meeting some friends there at 9.

[oldkhs]

How fast does Pontiac Lake generally dry out? I would love to get a morning ride in, but I'm not sure with today's rain. It looks like a trail that dries up quickly.

National weather indicates .9" of rain. I'm really close and my gage had 1.5" (Although I don't remember if it was dry last night - I think so - seems like we haven't had rain for a long time...).

Anyway, I know one day / 24 hrs of clear and sunny weather will dry out .75" of rain almost completely (big puddle areas may still have a bit a puddling). I would doubt this humid not-sunny weather would have the trail very dry at 9am tomorrow, especially considering approx 1/2" of the rain was at 6pm. Having said that - we all have different definitions of rideable. The sandy parts drain well, but there will likely be a lot of greasy areas and the spots where water puddles may still have puddles....

Please update, as I'm trying to figure out how quick the trail is ridable (in my mind) after rains.

[champ128]

I started my ride about 8:15 am. Trail conditions were good. I only encountered two puddles of standing water, one after the six mile marker, one after the seven mile marker. The sandy corners were a little looser than normal and there wad a lot of face slappers ( a lot of knee slappers too). I am not sure though, they may be due to the weight of the water bringing them down. I think the fact that the rain was intermittent and heavy alowwed the water to run off instead of soak in, plus dry out between storms.

[irishpitbull]

How fast does Pontiac Lake generally dry out? I would love to get a morning ride in, but I'm not sure with today's rain. It looks like a trail that dries up quickly.

National weather indicates .9" of rain. I'm really close and my gage had 1.5" (Although I don't remember if it was dry last night - I think so - seems like we haven't had rain for a long time...).

Anyway, I know one day / 24 hrs of clear and sunny weather will dry out .75" of rain almost completely (big puddle areas may still have a bit a puddling). I would doubt this humid not-sunny weather would have the trail very dry at 9am tomorrow, especially considering approx 1/2" of the rain was at 6pm. Having said that - we all have different definitions of rideable. The sandy parts drain well, but there will likely be a lot of greasy areas and the spots where water puddles may still have puddles....

Please update, as I'm trying to figure out how quick the trail is ridable (in my mind) after rains.

LOL a regular Mr Wizard...

The trail was awesome at 8am and then again at 9am. Tons of grip and 2 puddles. No trees down.

[compacted_graphite]

Trail Conditions for Wednesday, July 4th, 2012: The mountain bike trail this morning was clear of any obstructions this morning. The trail tread was moist but there were only two mud puddles - one at mile six on the right hand curve, and one at mile 9 on the long straight section. Trails were trimmed of overhanging brush Saturday June 30, 2012 by Craig and Grant Glomstead (mile 0 - mile 2), Tom Wright, Ed Leiss, and Fred Hargrave (mile 2.5 - mile 4.5), and Dave Boboltz (mile 9 - mile 10). The remainder of the trail still has some brush over hanging the trail and creeping in from the sides. Some adjustments to some of the worst of the overhangs was conducted this morning. More rain and wind has occured this evening but the trail seems to dry fairly well and quickly, especially with the recent dry weather.

[oldkhs]

LOL a regular Mr Wizard...

The trail was awesome at 8am and then again at 9am. Tons of grip and 2 puddles. No trees down.

It's actually Professor Wizard. Thanks.

Just trying to figure out when it is good to ride w/o messing up trail and/or having to thoroughly clean the bike...

I'm suprised it was that dry, thanks for the update. Glad you had a good ride.

Thanks to those who trimmed up the trail last weekend.

[ArcticRobot]

as of 07/07 trail is very loose and sandy. Fast downhill section before the rerouted last uphill has tree blocking left portion of it. Good that I normally go to the right, that downhill does not like emergency braking. Be careful out there and stay on the right side.

[compacted_graphite]

Trail Conditions for Sunday July 8, 2012: an early morning storm last Thursday with high winds has left several trees down on the mountain bike trail. Most obstructions were removed on Thursday evening, and the bike trail is currently unobstructed. However, some of the debris is large enough that remnants of downed trees still remain close to the side of the trail. There is a tight gap in a downed tree at mile 1.8, and there is the previously mentioned tree on the left side of the next-to-last downhill at mile 9.1. There are a lot of sticks and small branches lying on the trail. The trail tread was wet as of last Thursday but has dried out now. Some slight washout has occured on uphill climbs and downhills, making them a little bit rockier. And, much to the dismay of the Trail Coordinators, even with recent brush trimming activities, the bush is growing at an alarming rate and there continues to be tight riding through some sections, even those recently trimmed. Recent rain will invigorate the skeeters, along with an already hungry bunch of horseflies. Consider using bug dope, or don't plan on stopping. Skunk activity was recently observed at mile 4.5 (just beyond the campground road crossing). Otherwise, everything is perfect.

[MediumRB]

^ Great update - thanks for the info.
I have clippers in my Camelbak at all times now, so I clip some branches out of the way when opportunity arises.

[Critter7r]

I always read Compacted Graphite's posts with the automated voice from The Weather Channel.

[brokenbones]

Trail was fast and clean this evening. It looks like some trail gnomes have been extra busy the last few days. Thanks for your efforts.

[ihateplaindave]

Trail was fast and clean this evening. It looks like some trail gnomes have been extra busy the last few days. Thanks for your efforts.

+1

The bugs were out big time. I think they like this more moderate weather.

[Mucky]

Rode this afternoon. Trail is in good shape. I find it ironic though, when people say the trail is fast. I disagree. With the super dry conditions, there is much more sand, everywhere, and this makes most of the turns much slower. Rear wheel breaks a little easier on the hills too, making climbing a little tougher to keep traction. Erosion is getting worse, and this makes it slower. It's really the same all over SE Mi, with the lack of rain. Thanks to everyone that has contributed the the maintenance of the trail.