Thorn Trail about ready to ride

Trail info from the Thorn Mountain Biking Trail at Findley State Park from Tenant Nabakowski:

With this warm sunny weather coming our way I'm hoping by Sunday our trail should finally be in riding shape. Perhaps later in the day Saturday too. It will no doubt still have some soft spots but that's not a problem for mountain bikers. I've spent the past few weeks filling in trouble areas with a stone/dirt mix and have finally cleared all the fallen trees. So I'm ready to ride this weekend. Saturday me and some of the guys are hoping to finish a 24-foot bridge. It's at the bottom of the downhill in the coaster section. My intention is instead of taking a slight left then right turn at the bottom. The bridge will able the crazies to blast straight down and carry their speed across the bridge then up the other side. Should be fun!

Findley State Park is located in Wellington, OH on SR 58. Click here for map.

Here's one for healthy foodies

From the Oberlin Public Library:

Join us for a Raw Vegan Potluck on Friday, April 24th, 2009 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Oberlin Public Library. It is a wonderful opportunity to gather with like-minded people to socialize and eat a raw plant-based meal. Learn about the Living Foods Lifestyle from Raw Vegan chef Che Gonzalez and guests, Leeza Ramsey, Laura Paxton, and Jim Lawhead.

Please bring a prepared dish of raw, organic (preferably), and vegan ingredients (no animal products!) soups, crackers, salads, dressings and sauces, entrees, desserts, and snacks.

Provide a detailed list of the ingredients. If it's your first time and you don't know what to bring, but are interested in coming, just bring an organic salad with dressing on the side. Please bring your own plates and silverware.

Sign-up at the reference desk or email Che at oberlinpubliclibrary@yahoo.com.

2009 Oberlin Earth Day 5k run

It's like a sign of spring. The 5k Earth Day run in Oberlin. And what a beautiful day it was. It appeared that there were about 50 runners for the race. The overall winner was Brett Barkacs with a time of 19:25. Second overall: Jim Galloway with a time of 21:03. The first female runner to cross the line was Alexa Sharp with a time of 21:54, and second place women's was Marty Stuedle with a time of 23:16. Some photos from the day:

Runners take your mark, get set, go!

And they're off....

Brett Barkacs takes first.

Alexa Sharp across the line..

Proof that spring is here. The daffodils and magnolias are in full bloom.

This coming weekend-season's events begin

This weekend is kind of like the unofficial start of our outdoor events season. This Saturday, April 18th in Oberlin is the annual 5k Earth Day run. The weather forecast for this looks superb! The run will start and finish on Tappan Square at 10am. Entry fee is $10 per person and the first 75 registrants will receive a t-shirt. For more information, contact the Oberlin Recreation Dept. at 440.775.7254. Here is a link from last year's Earth Day in Oberlin.

The Lorain Wheelmen’s annual tradition to begin the cycling season-Afrost is Sunday, April 19 and begin at 9am. For details check out the Wheelmen’s Afrost Page. The weather this week looks to be great for an early spring ride. Updated Back Roads and Beaches maps are available and can be obtained here and online maps here. See you out there!

Goodbye winter

It’s snowing today but we are ignoring it, opting instead to think about the great riding, kayaking and mountain biking that lie just ahead. Since Nab sent along some photos from an ice race at Findley, we thought we’d post them as a fitting farewell to winter. Thanks Nab!

Two new wineries make six on Back Roads and Beaches route

The great thing about the Back Roads and Beaches bike and multi-sport route is there is something for everyone—bike tourists, hammer heads, kayakers, runners and a mix of all. BRaB now has a total of six wineries on and just nearby the route. Paper Moon Winery is a delightful new winery that opened its doors a couple weeks ago. The best way to reach Paper Moon from BRaB is to take Darrow Rd. west, off the main BRaB route. When you reach SR 60, turn right. Remember that SR 60 is a state route and can be busy, even on this small stretch. Vermilion Valley Vineyards is a soon-to-be-open winery that is located on Gore Orphanage Rd. in the Henrietta Township area of the Route, just south of SR 113. Click here to follow their progress toward opening.

These two wineries are an addition to four great wineries already on the Back Roads and Beaches route. Just off the western portion of the route is Matus Winery on Gore Orphanage Rd., just south of SR 20. In the middle of the route, you'll find Single Tree Winery on Baumhart Rt., about a half mile south of Garfield. And in the eastern portion of the route, just off SR 6 in Avon Lake you'll find our Klingshirn and Christ Wineries. For more information on other activities including history, architecture, kayaking, running trails, mountain biking and healthy, organic meal stops, click here.