Route #003

Route #003
Distance: 6-7 miles (total guess)
Travel Time: ~40 minutes (first time)
Level of Difficulty: (1:easy - 5:hard) 2

Route #003

Some notes on the ride
1) Found another frisbee golf park! Dolese Park (west of Merdian and north of NW 50th St.)
2) This route passed 4 parks! (Dolese Park, Stars & Stripes, Lake Hefner Park, Rotary Park)
3) No problem hills. Hardest climb was getting of the Lake Hefner Parkway on S. Lake Hefner Dr.

Trouble spots:
1) Stoplight @ NW Expressway and N. Independence Ave - I got a little nervous because of all the cars and traffic.

Overall, a really good ride. The neighborhoods on the southern half of the trip took the longest time. I had to bob and weave a lot on the neighborhood streets. Going from Lake Hefner Golf Club west towards Independence and south to home base was really, really fast.

Cheers,

Route #002

Route #002
Distance: unknown (guess around 5 miles)
Travel Time: didn't time it



Some notes on the ride
I found myself in amongst some big houses around that golf course. East of the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club is Nichols Hills. This is the ritzy part of town. You see big houses with really expensive landscaping. It was nice to ride around in their neighborhood and pretend that I lived there.

"Yeah. I'm just out for a ride. And its the middle of the day. I don't work. I have lots of money. Check out my portfolio. Wait, can't I'm going to miss pilates."

It was fun. Nichols Hills is a 25 MPH zone so I was going the same speed as the cars.

Good stuff:
1) Slow speed zone in Nichols Hills
2) You could find some long up hills!
3) Low traffic
4) Good, long easy uphill -- Start at Kite Park and head west on Huntington Ave (maybe I was just already winded from looking at all the huge houses)

Not so good stuff:
1) Lots of stop signs
2) Rough roads - As much money as those people spend on houses you would think the city would work on their city streets.
3) Not a whole lot of straighaways.

Fun ride. I'm going to find a different route where I can get more North and East.

Cheers,

Bluff Creek

Bluff Creek - mountain bike single track
Distance: around 3.5 miles
Travel Time: about 25-30 minutes around the track (+10 minute drive from my office)
Level of Difficulty: intermediate, but has an easy dirt track that circles the main course

Map courtesy of Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship

Some notes on the trail
This is an intermediate trail. Do not take unless you somewhat know your bike. This trail is full of twisty turns. It is done the best way that you can make a trail with the small space provided. I do not know much of the history on the trail but I greatly appreciate it being in the middle of OKC. I've probably gone on it 100 times in the last two years.

Fun notes
1) Generally really cool people are out on this trail
2) Technical fun stuff
3) Some quick drops into dried up creek beds
4) Shady - good shade from trees on those really hot ride days

Bad stuff
1) Rooty - lots of tree roots can develop on trail but the OEF works to take care of them
2) Can be sandy in some areas but never too bad

Overall, due to location this is a trail that I ride a lot. I prefer mountain bike trails over pushing around on my road bike. On a nice day I'm more likely to be at the Bluff's than on the road.

Cheers,

Route #001

Route #001
Distance: unknown (guess around 6-7 miles)
Travel Time: around 30 minutes (no drive time included)

Click on the map for a larger view:


Some notes on the ride
I start at Brookline and 50th St. on my rides in this part of the city (probably because I work right there). Brookline is barely west of May on 50th. I tried to avoid major highways and major roads when mapping this one out while still getting out of neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are fun but you can get really bored really fast with all the turns you need to make.

I've made the above map by taking a lot of snapshots from Mapquest and pasting them together for my necessary map. It's a nice thing to print of and keep in your back pocket in case you get heat stroke and disorientated.

There are some fun spots on this ride here are a couple of my favorite:
1) The uphill on NW 33rd st west of Portland - just a nice short uphill in this relatively flat city.
2) Tulsa Ave - 35 MPH zone so you don't have a lot of cars flying by you
3) N Drexel & I-44 and NW 32nd & I-44 - I get to go under the freeway without any stoplights!!!
4) NW 56th & I-44 - I go over the freeway with 2 stoplights but very little traffic

Some bad spots:
1) Crossing NW 36th St @ N Tulsa Ave - not a lot of vision east and west
2) NW 33rd St. and N Portland Ave - a lot of vision, but kind of a busy street
3) NW 39th St. & N. Tulsa - SLOW STOPLIGHT! (but good water break)
4) NW 50th St. & N. Tulsa - SLOW STOPLIGHT! (but good water break)

Cheers,