I had some follow up appointments in Grand Rapids last Friday, so I threw my bike on car. I figured I would head to Luton since I was in the neighborhood, and didn't feel like working. My appointments were done around 11:30 so I headed a bit further north to Rockford.
When I arrived I was honestly shocked at the number of cars in the parking lot. For it being a week day around noon, it was fairly busy. I geared up and headed out.
This trail is so well used that its like a highway through the woods. The good news is that it isn't super wide, just well worn in. You can see the start of fall for sure, with all the leaves.
I rode through each section of the Yellow, orange, black, red, and green. Each of these sections is just a little different. The yellow has a few sweeping drops. The orange gets a bit rocky and offers some pine needle bed surfaces. It goes from a gravely sound to very quiet when you transition between the surfaces.
The section above is towards the end of the Black loop. It has to be my favorite part of the trail. I actually rode through the first time around, then stopped for the pic. The interesting part of this trail is that each of the loops is a spur off of the Blue loop. This makes is easier to bail out if you need to. The black crosses the blue here, and then circles around. You end up riding the blue through this intersection a few minutes later. Yes, the trails cross...and yes they are marked very well that there is potential danger. I have never had any issues here. I think in all the times I have ridden Luton I have only seen 1 rider coming down the hill.
After riding all of the loops I was short of 10 miles. I headed back out to ride the Blue loop again. I knew I didn't have the endurance for every loop, but wanted a double digit ride. As I was riding towards the yellow spur my mind started to wander to five years ago. It was in this spot that I realized I was having some major breathing issues. 10 days later I was in the hospital with a saddle pulmonary embolism. Nearly died. Now I was here again riding and enjoying the day. Literally, thankful to be alive. It has been a long time since that day.
Luton is a great trail. I wasn't fast, but it was great to be out and riding such a fun trail. There isn't anything difficult about the trail, and it was in great shape. If you are ever in the Rockford area I highly recommend coming here for a ride. And while you are this close, swing to Merrill as well. Its just down the road and offers another system of trails that I love. Heck, its worth a trip to go there and ride. Lots of trails within 15 minutes of each. Canonsburg is just down the road. Plenty of after ride options from breweries to regular fast food.
I am planning to get out this weekend again, and just trying to decide where I want to go. I am not ready for the Dragon yet, but its surely on my list. I will avoid Yankee for now. So maybe Merrill, Mosquito Creek, Fort Custer, Meyer-Broadway, or even something else. Just want to get out and get more trail miles before the snow flies.
Keep moving forward friends.
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