Middle Run Park bike ride videos
We went down to Middle Run Park for some mountain-biking yesterday. We got a late start, leaving at 2:30 PM, so we didn't arrive until 5 PM because of the rush-hour traffic (rush-"hour" being approximately 3 to 7...) even though the trip only takes about 80 minutes without traffic. I was surprised to see that there were only about 8 cars in the parking lot; I thought on a Friday afternoon the place would be packed. But during the whole 2.5 hours we spent on the trails, we only saw 3 other bikers.
I was also surprised to see that the old carved-wood map had been taken down; now there's a new one with a paper map behind a glass door. Since I'd only ever been to this park once before, I don't remember how detailed the old map was, but on the new map -- which is nice-looking and fairly detailed -- the Skills Trail is totally unlabeled, and the Chunnel isn't shown at all. Those are 2 of the best parts of the park so it seems strange that they're omitted. Note to future self: from the Middle Run day-use lot, take the Lenape trail to the left, go right at the first and second splits, then cross the creek and go left to get to the Chunnel. Then you'll hit Bryan's Field Trail; take this counter-clockwise (or left) to get to the Skills Trail. Of course the rest of the trails are pretty great too, and we didn't actually use a map at all while riding; we just jumped onto Lenape and rode various loops until we were beat, 11 miles later.
The park's various plant life was much thicker than it had been a month earlier: on some of the trails we were constantly brushing against leaves, branches, and the occasional picker plant. It seemed all but certain that there was some poison ivy in there, and a couple of times during the ride I stopped and took off my shoes and walked into the creek to splash off my arms and legs. It was also about 90 degrees so the water was nice to cool off in, too. I didn't end up with any poison, fortunately.
Kim brought her camera, and at one point she mentioned wishing she could take video while riding. I noticed that she had the camera just hanging around her neck, so I said why not just turn it on and hit record and then ride? Well, it turns out that the camera is swinging almost constantly, so those videos didn't turn out very good. But she did stop and take a few clips of me riding some of the more interesting parts of the park.
As I said in my initial Middle Run Park review, the place is just amazing for mountain biking. I would be down there a couple times a week if I didn't live so far away from it.
 (video) This is me riding across the long curved bridge with the camera around my neck. You don't realize how badly the camera is swinging while you're riding with it. Don't worry, the other videos aren't like this one. |
 (video) Here's me attempting to navigate one of the taller (~2-foot) log rides in the park. It's a pathetic attempt, I know. |
 (video) In this clip I successfully ride the big teeter-totter, then fall off the flat part after it. Duh. |
 (video) Here I'm riding through the Chunnel, which is a corrugated metal tube with a creek going through it, under a road. This is so much fun, especially on a hot day! |