North Texas scenic rides and photos

Looking to meet other riders in North Texas, esp. NE of Dallas, for mb riding on country roads, nature trails, or lake areas.

Please share photos and stories about North Texas bicycle and MB rides here.

Also, PM for my thread "Fishing and MB Riding." http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcThlfSKvykh1hHq_6Ma3xw4zAZtOe1y6k8shGQ1G32WgUiWclfEbg

TX 66 Hunt County sign

http://s3.amazonaws.com/loa.images/inv/637721/637721-0911131634194677-l.jpg Black clay road in Ladonia Texas

http://www.traillink.com/imagehandler.ashx?id=3257&t=lg

Rail trail between Farmersville TX and Celeste, also continues (less improved) to Ladonia, Paris, and possibly even Blossom TX!



Looking for fellow MB riders interested in riding the trail.

FB Page here: Chaparral Trail Bicycle Tourists and Bicyclists | Facebook

Chaparral Rail Trail Photos - Farmersville - Paris

https://post.craigslist.org/imagepreview/n/5Q35Z05S23n13k93obbalee77872238cc1f43.jpg
Here is a picture of me with other Motorbicycling.com members at Dallas' White Rock Lake. We are planning more mb rides there, and I welcome any members to ride in Dallas, Rockwall, or Mesquite.

More WRL: bridge

sunset, tree, bldg skyline

I plan to try this trail on a mtn bike some time. I am a stay at home dad so I rarely get more than a couple hours to myself unless it's way past dark. From all reports I've read, the rail trail is well used in some areas, and barely passable in others (overgrown, or cagers /landowners have put dirt piles and brush piles on the trail to thwart travelers. (perhaps ATV users were poaching on their land, I 'm not sure why they would bother bicyclists other than spite).

It runs from Farmersville to Paris, but I bet it is rough esp past Celeste. I will ride it and take pictures when I get my next Dax drive. Perhaps I'll put it on my mtn bike for the occassion before it goes on my cyclocross bike (gave my wife my first Dax).

Keep in touch and perhaps try the Dallas MB Ride at White Rock Lake first. (This is a very familiar, paved loop and circular park road around a popular lake) Then you can meet me and other members and guarantee a well known course and good time.

Last time I went through Olive Branch MS, it seemed like a real nice town, lots of pretty girls, good country people. I am not sure what Little Elm is like. Seems nice here: http://www.littleelm.org/ I hope the "progressive plans for the future" don't squeeze the country folk out of it like Forney and other cities have suffered.

Here is some fairly recent info on the chapparal trail with detailed photos. Looks good.

Chaparral Trail- Farmersville to Paris

Extended map of trail from Farmersville to New Boston! (LONG) http://www.traildeparis.org/userFiles/380/tiger_map.pdf

My grubee bike is geared far too high for trails riding (38t cog) and too heavy to pedal like a mtn bike.
This is why I was so excited about the friction drive arriving (its the wife's now though, still a win), and why I would part with my grubee cruiser for something somewhat less efficient and "cool".

The friction drive on a cyclocross bike can go basically everywhere and does best what I use it for, mostly paved but rough roads, and some dirt roads, and nature trails (motor off). I can't really do anything "extreme" on it like serious mtn bike trails, but I rode a lot of DORBA (www.dorba.org / Dallas Off Road Mountain Bicycling Association) trails with it well before the motor. I recommend a front-shock ("hardtail") 29'er mountain bike with basic, replaceable components and 40 spoke wheels, as the best do-all motor bicycle. Then you can use cheap, durable tires in a HUGE variety of sizes, from 700c x 25 ("one inch" ) road slicks to beefy 29" x 2.1 all weather tires.

In another thread, I have been discussing an experimental roller made of wood, that clamps on to the standard 1" steel roller without taking apart the bearings or anything, just a couple allen bolts. This way I will be able to ride trails and cover some ground on the roads in the same day, or shortcut back to the car/camp on the roads if it gets dark or rains.

"North Texas" generally refers to the northwest section of the state, and the actual northernmost section is called The Panhandle. hahaha.

Here are some cool videos from Palo Duro Canyon State Park, about 7 hrs drive from Dallas TX. Someday I want to go, but I wonder when I will get to. My wife wants to fly on planes and go to expensive destinations like Hawaii or Ireland, but I am sad because there is a lot to see in TEXAS and you can have days of fun camping and biking. "Not her thing" though. (sad) She likes books and walking tours. That's ok, but never as fulfilling to me as riding a bike or off road vehicle in scenic places few get to enjoy.

Palo Duro Canyon Mountain Biking with a GoPro - YouTube

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Blood Red Summer - YouTube

Here is a trail that might be open (or tolerating) of motor bicycles, esp a mtn bike with a weeder motor.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park - Greenbelt | DORBA

I have ridden this before multiple times, on mtn bikes. It is a jeep road, that ends at a crushed limestone singletrack , very easy to ride and flat, no obstacles or close trees. It goes from US380 in Farmersville to Lake Ray Roberts State Park paved roads. I think it's about 10-12 miles. There is not much traffic in the fall, and after rain, the first half can be standing water over gravel jeep road. Also, watch out for the low bridge (duck!)

I plan to ride this one on my cyclocross bike.

Ok, great. Take some pictures! I got the new Tanaka motor today, need the dax drive now. Maybe we can ride it together or another ride before winter comes down hard.

edit dead link sorry

Horse on small grassy area in Dallas. There are still a few "farms" in Dallas, usually small parcels of land astride beer stores and highway overpasses.

http://sadpanda.us/images/813310-G7XQFYA.jpg
My photo, of Dallas TX riders in the El Tour de Taco group ride #1

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos...349356276_1770170043_1006828_1739118713_n.jpg


This looked like a normal blacktop/gravel/dirt road on Google maps! It was blacktop for a while, then turned into that! Yuck.

Thread bump
Ride video from Dallas TX with bicycle group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr39-x0j0zQ