Bicycling at SML For years I thought it would be just too dangerous to bike at the lake. The cars go pretty fast--and so many people are busy yacking it up on their cellphones. Now though I have come to find a number of safe Bedford County roads and mountain bike trails. For someone with knee problems biking is one of the only good exercises available. I tried swimming. At one point I was swimming a mile a day. But my ears kept getting full of water. And then it got cold out too. So I tried mountain biking at SML State Park. There are great trails there! It seems like they are making more nice trails each year. You can set your own pace at the Park; nobody is going to be pushing you. It seems very safe. I rented a bike there. I like it a lot better on my own bike though (the chain kept falling off theirs--probably fixed by now). There are many scenic vistas that take your mind off the pedaling. Then there are also quite a few nice benches for water drinking breaks. There are some steep hills but pushing the bike up them is great exercise too I'm sure! I'd say riding around the Discovery Center (the old Visitor's Center) is a great place to start--even to start learning if that is the case. It is super scenic there and pretty level with only some mild slopes. You will find soda machines and a water fountain too. You will find trails maps there. Bike towards the Osprey nest and then follow the shoreline. For street biking I have found some great roads north and south of Route 608. There are some pretty good hills. I have found a nice loop where you go downhill more than you have to ride up. I don't know why that happens but I'm not going to bike the opposite direction. I did pass another biker going the other direction once. We had a good laugh about the hills as we smoked by each other. (He was flying; I was puffing going down a grade.) Anyway, the loops I know are off Route 654 (near the 608 intersection). Biking north make the right on Bold Branch Road (Route 743). At the end of the road go left for one loop right for the other. Going left on Route 805 then follow it to the end. Then make a left onto Route 654. Make another left after you pass the church. This is still 654; it's just hard to tell. This road will bring you back past where you turned into Bold Branch Road and then proceed on to Route 608. Making the right at the end of Bold Branch Road onto Route 805 will bring you to Route 737. Make the right turn. This will be the first right since getting on 805. And by the way, I don't really know if these roads are called Routes or just Roads. But they all have numbers on my Bedford County map. You might want to look on a map or drive through the routes in a car before getting on your bike. These loops are nice car drives too. At the end of 737 you hit 608. Make a right; then go a third of a mile back to the 608/654 intersection. These two loops are pretty interesting. You drive through nice farmland and rural areas. A few dogs may chase you. Only a couple are very fast. They seem to always stop if you tell them to in a loud voice. Off 654 south of 608 is Tuck Road. This road is a great warm up road. I just travel both directions, end to end, on Tuck. Real pretty scenery! The only semi-dangerous traffic you will find is on a short portion of 654 south of 608 and the third of a mile between 737 and 654 on 608. The drivers seem to be really cool if you stick as far to the right as possible. I haven't had any problems. Have fun if you try these routes or trails! Maybe I'll see you there.

Mountain Biking at Smith Mountain Lake State Park It seems like the trails at Smith Mountain Lake State Park are like undiscovered gold. I have only seen tire tracks there a couple times. I have never seen another biker. These trails are great! The trail system keeps getting better and better as the Park adds trails. I am guessing there are around twenty miles worth now. There is a nice variety of trails that run along the lake and through the woods. The Park has thirteen hundred acres. The trails go pretty much through out. There is sort of a large circuit that runs from the Park entrance to the "Discovery Center" (not on the trial map?) and back on opposite sides of the Park road. Then the trails run to the beach area and "Osprey Point" (again in the woods along the water on both sides of the road). I think if anyone can ride the entire trail system in one day they should get some sort of Hercules award! The trails are nicely wide. There are plenty of benches for breaks. And a bunch of picnic tables for lunch or dinner. There are plenty of outrageous views! There are boat docks if you want to arrive by water. There is no charge for boat parking. A small charge does apply for car parking. There is a Visitor's Center and the Discovery Center. You can learn about the Park and the Smith Mountain Lake area in these buildings. There is also a Park store in the Office building at the Park entrance. You can rent bikes there. I would call ahead and reserve. The Park rates the trails easy to moderate. I would maybe call them "mostly" easy and "mostly" moderate. There are some pretty steep hills. They are especially challenging when covered with a thick layer of moist leaves. It is not unusual for me to have to push the bike at the end near the top. I consider that good exercise too though. Going down the steep, off camber, thickly leaf covered hills can be kind of a thrill too! Balance and control are right there on the top of your consciousness. You can hit the brakes and slide, slide, slide. So watch it! Or going up you balance, standing, pumping, keeping traction in the rear tire and steering with some weight on the front tire. You don't want the rear tire to spin too much and loose traction--and you don't want the front tire too high in the air so you can't steer around the turns. It is a fun challenge. One of my favorite parts in going over the bridge to Turtle Island. Balance is the name of the game if you want to jump your bike onto the bridge, make it to the top, over, and down the other side. The key is to go in a pretty straight line because the bridge is not that wide. Bring a full water bottle. There are lots of scenic spots for water breaks. There are nice bridges in the woods where leaning and drinking water feel pretty darn good. There are many scenic overlooks with benches too. There is a water fountain and drink machines at the Discovery Center. When the leaves are off the trees you can see the lake from a lot of the trails. Sometimes you are just about in the lake riding at the edge. Don't miss riding along the waterside from the Lakeview Trail to the Tobacco Run Trail. The link is not on the trail map anymore. You might want to bring a camera too. The Park also has rental cabins and a campground if you want to stay a while. You probably need reservations though. There are a number of special activities too. Search for the Smith Mountain Lake State Park website. Here is the trail map: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/documents/smithmtnb.pdf.