PRige EigHt THE SUMMER DAILY V
Bicycle trips to
escape summer
in the big city
By JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY
If the hustle and bustle of
metropolitan Ann Arbor start to
get you down this summer-take
heart. You are just a bicycle ride
away from a delightful afternoon
in the country.
Riding out from the city for a
few miles in almost any direc-
tion can put you on a deserted
country road where the bicycle
riding is among the finest in all
of southern Michigan.
Take for example the route
down the Huron River Drive
which starts at the north end of
Main Street, at the exit off of
U.S. 23 and follows the curves
of the Huron River northwest
towards Dexter. This is one of
the most popular bike rides, as it
is surrounded almost entirely by
parks and countryside with only
one or two sprouting subdivisions
to mar the landscape.
The road is black topped and
starts on a downhill curve. The
first few miles are almost en-
tirely wooded, with the river al-
ways in sight between the trees
on the right. It is a peaceful,
lovely ride and since a great
deal of the road is shaded - it
is not too hot.
There are occasional paths lead-
ing down from the road to the
riverside and from these points
it is posible to go wading,
though it is not advisable to
swim as the river is too shal-
low in all but a few places. Y
can also fish or justsit anI
listen to the river and contem-
plate thetgreen and gold fields
on the other side.
FIVE AND A half miles down
Huron River Drive is Delhi Park,
well known for its rapids. It is
mostly a picnic area along the
river, but is nice for playing n
the water and is particularly
nice for inner tubes.
Three or four miles beyond this
park, through hills and woods,
and past a Chrysler plant is Dex-
ter-Huron Park. The park is not
quite as nice as Delhi, but does
have a baseball field to its credit.
A mile and a half further is
the intersection of Mast Road
and Huron River Drive. From
here it is possible to go in any
of three directions; left to Dex-
ter where there is a Dairy Queen,
and in the fall a cider mill;
straight, down Huron River
Drive, though at this point it
leaves the river; or right in the
direction of Silver Lake and
Pinckney Recreation Area
through some magnificent farm
land and open country.
HERE, THE ROAD passes as
an aisle through black-eyed su-
sans, Queen Anne's lace, honey-
suckle and wild tiger lilies.
Spreading out on either side are
acres of cornfields, meadows and
fields.
The road is also dotted with
picturesque red barns, whose
beauty to the eye often outweigh-
ed by the damage done to the
nose.
Silver Lake is located about 20
miles outside of Ann Arbor in
the northeast section of the Pin-
ckney Recreation Area. It is a
fairly large lake with a popular
and often times crowded beach.
But in this recreation area
alone there are over 25 lakes,
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many with camping facilities,
beaches and hiking trails. F o r
bikes the entire area is a maze
of dirt roads winding through
woods and fields. Although it is
quite a distance from Ann Ar-
bor, its beauty is worth every
hill.
BEYOND STOCKBRIDGE the
land becomes more open and the
hills roll gently back. Attractions
along the way include University
astronomical observatories and a
number of classicly midwestern
towns and villages.
A real treat along this route is
the Dexter Trail. It is an old-
fashioned motoring route from
the good old days when they gave
roads names like the Red Star
Highway, or the East Beltline.
It runs from Dexter to Hell and
from there to Gregory and Ma-
son.
Not to be overestimated for
the more athletic are the ;oys
of riding in this direction all the
way to East Lansing. The dis-
tance is approximately sixty mit-
as, variable according t-a which
of many alternate routes is tak-
en and automobile traffic is rare-
ly a problem.
THE MOST direct routes di-
verge from Dexter through var-
ious parts of the Pinckney Re
creational Area, pass through or
just north of Stockbridge and
continue on in a northeasteriy
diagonal direction to Mason and
from there north to Lassiag.
Another popular trip is a ride
up the Pontiac Trail 20 miles to
Kensington Metropolitan P a r k
and the Island Lake :iecreation
UON~y NhtO by tN IN
SOME LOCAL CYCLISTS take advantage of one of the many country roads that lie just outside
of the city.
Area. Kensington is a park left
mostly wild, with a large lake,
two beaches, a paddle streamer
called the Island Queen, bike
foutes and a nature trail. It is
a lovely area and well worth the
effort to get there.
A shorter ride for late after-
noons is the trip out to the Uni-
versity botanical gardens, nice
for picnics and smelling the ros-
es.
IF YOU ARE interested in
night time travel and swimuint;,
the "gravel pit" is a great place
to go. It is also a nice route
during the day as it takes you
through the Saginaw Forest.
In the area southwest of Ann
Arbor there are some long coun-
try roads to Manchester, which
reportedly has "the best Dairy
Queen in southern Michigan."
If farm country and dirt roads
are your preference, the area
northeast of the city is ideal.
OUT PAST YPSILANTI there
is Ford Lake, which is the big-
gest lake in the Ann Arbor Ypsi-
lanti area. To get there, t a k e
Gedes until it turns into Huron
River Drive and follow it past
Ypsilanti.
If soltary riding doesn't appeal
to you, the Naked Wrench, a bi-
cycle coop, has group rides three
times a week; Wednesday, Fri-
day and Sunday mornings at
9:00. Riders meet at the center
of the diag, and then decide
where they want to go. Anyone
who is interested is welcome.
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