"Alice came to a fork in the road. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
Lewis Carroll

Sugarloaf Mountain Tour

Sugarloaf Mountain

Scouring the little book I had bought (see C & O Trail journal entry) I found an intresting little tour titled "Not for Loafers Sugarloaf Tour". The description said there would be hilly terrain and some dirt and gravel roads. Getting in some hill training was one of my priorities and since the tour passed Lily Pons nursery as well (I love to garden), I decided to load up the bike and head out. After again searching for a while for the begining of the tour, I somehow found the base of Sugarloaf mountain. I was looking for Mount Ephraim road, and again no signs. Sugarloaf mountain was good enough for me. I could look for the road on the bike. The parking area was somewhat of a wheel with rural streets radiating from it. Comus road was to my back, a civil war historical trail to my left, the entrance to the Sugarloaf hiking trail to my right and an unmarked tree lined avenue straight ahead. The unkown is always more intresting, so I headed up the unmarked road.

Tree lined avenue with farm fields

Up ahead two hikers were approaching. Stopping to speak to them, I asked if they knew where Mount Ephraim road was. "Your on it" she said. She explained to me that she had biked this area and going was easy, but the hills coming back were pretty tiring and difficult. Well, hill training was my priority. The terrain was more dirt and gravel than not. It had rained the day before so the fenders deflected alot of the grit. The road was mostly deserted. A little stream meandered back and forth under and over the road (evidently there was very little human effort to contain it and it did as it pleased). This was my very first very hilly ride. If going was easy, I was wondering if I could make it back! (Please don't think I'm a wimp, at the time I was undergoing treatment for and battling the symptoms of graves desease, I am getting better currently) Concentrating, I established a rythym and dropped into my granny gear more than once for long periods, but I made it up! The reward is the downhill on the other side. After several miles of hills I came up on a populated area and the dogs that go with it. The first encounter was a fat beagle that rushed to the edge of the street barking ferociously. I have a beagle, and I know what notorious bluffers they are. The second was two large retriever type dogs that barked furiously at me. I warned them not to come closer, because I have been known to run over dogs! (Once I ran over a pitbull who rushed me.) They must have believed me because they backed off.

Mount Ephraim Road

Old Store near where I met the beagle

I made it all the way to Lily Pons Nursery. Mostly a boggy area that very much resembled home (Louisiana). After poking around a little bit and having a cereal bar (not much was blooming, everything was a bit brown tinged from the nippy weather), I turned around and headed back. Things you never notice in a car you do on a bike, like: How those large electrical line towers hum and crackle. Going back wasn't as difficult as feared at first. When I reached the dirt and gravel area again the hills were long and steep At some points I pushed my bike up. I felt like my stomach was trying to eat itself, so I stopped and had lunch. The stream made a very pleasent place for a picnic and there were plenty of rocks to sit on. I had a beef teriyaki MRE (military meals ready to eat) my husband had sent to Maryland for me to try. He had been surviving on them for quite a while back home.

My pleasent picnic spot

With a restful break and my tummy full, I pushed my bike to the top of the next hill. A rolling start would be nice! I jumped on and started pedaling. The hills were grueling. Concentration, rythym and the granny gear were all usefull in making it up the next several hills. Yep, I made it. This trip was the point where I really started to develop muscles and improve my skill and ability for biking up hills. This is very important to me, because of my desire to bike in large mountain ranges eventually. There was my faithful truck! Loading on the bike, I tucked another completed tour under my belt.

My Sugarloaf Self Portrait

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