From: aviator@athena.mit.edu (Joakim Karlsson)
Subject: Taking mountain biking to new heights
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:44:58 GMT
Followup-To: rec.bicycles.rides
Organization: Flight Transportation Associates, Cambridge, MA
Reply-To: aviator@athena.mit.edu (Joakim Karlsson)

So, there I was, me and my mountain bike...bands of green, yellow,
and red passing below me.  I saw a Cessna aircraft off in the
distance, and watched it get closer and closer, as it finally passed
underneath the bike and I.

OK, I cheated.  I finally decided to see if I could fit my mountain bike
in the Cessna 150 I fly, and go fly somewhere and actually get off the
airport property.  Getting the bike into the plane was trivial.  Take
off the wheels, lower the saddle, and put everything in back.  The
right seat had to stay folded down - the entire configuration eliminates
the possibility of a passenger (will a C172 carry two passengers and two
bikes?).

I had randomly picked Hartness Municipal Airport in Springfield, Vermont,
having no idea what kind of biking I would find there.  The flight (from
Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass.) was uneventful.  Once at the airport,
I assembled my bike, went into the office and asked if I they had a map.
The line boy (who later helped me take a picture) volunteered to make
a copy of the appropriate page in the Vermont Gazetter and State Map (I
think I got the title right).  Btw, the map seems excellent for planning
bike tours (it's probably too bulky to bring along) and for anyone in
the Civil Air Patrol who flies in Vermont.

This was just an experiment, so I had planned to bike less than an
hour.  I set out on the access road, which soon joined Rt 106,
which I followed to the junction of Rt 10.  Making a left turn, I
continued along Rt 106 (quiet but unexciting) until the next road,
which had signs for the North Springfield Dam or some such.  This
piqued my interest, so I turned left and followed the road.  Just
before the dam, I found some wide public looking trails.  Being
the off-road enthusiast I am, I bid the asphalt farewell and followed
the trails.  Fun stuff.  The trail eventually went back to the airport
of all places, paralleling the main runway, with beautiful views of
hills to the north.  Eventually the trail veered away from the airport,
finally ending up in a partially paved access road which took me
back to Rt 106 in Perkinsville.  An undulating ride back to the
airport access road along Rt 106 finished my biking adventure for
the day.

Back at the airport, I noticed a plaque proclaiming the airport to
be Vermont's first, and also commemorating a Charles Lindbergh visit
and the fact that Vermont's first CAP squadron was located there.  In
fact, there was a very nice looking building just off the ramp with
CAP seals on it.  No CAP aircraft stationed at the airport though,
according to the line boy.

While I only did a brief 45 minute loop, the area seemed well suited
for this adventure.  Apart from an excellent airport (5,000 ft
runway, with 3,000 ft crosswind runway), the map indicates several
possibilities for off-road riding, including North Springfield
Lake State Park, Springfield Town Forest, Stoughton Pond State
Park, and Weathersfield Town Forest (in addition to the trails
by the dam).  I don't know what the policies are on biking in
these areas.  I did see "Vehicles Excluded" signs, but I optmistically
take those to mean motor vehicles.  I did see bicycle tire tracks
on the trails, and also so a horse and rider when I departed the airport.

The feeling of finding myself biking in Vermont on a Sunday afternoon
after having been in the suburbs of Boston just an hour before was peculiar
to say the least.  I know there are others who take bikes with them
when flying, so this is not such a strange idea.  It's opened up a whole
set of possibilities in combining my two favorite hobbies.  So now I
want to know: What are the best places (in New England) for off-road
biking in the vicinity of an airport?

Biker-pilots of the world, unite!  ...Joakim (getting carried away)

--
Joakim Karlsson            | aviator@athena.mit.edu
Flying Fanatic in Training | Air: PP-ASEL  CAP: Freedom 110 Mobile  FCC: N1JHW
                 "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
                And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings"