Big Thicket Preserve Mountain Bike Ride

Another outing to the Big Thicket National Preserve! This time a 15-mile mountain bike ride on a combination horse/hiking/biking trail in the Big Sandy Creek section of the preserve. Sounds like it would be a busy trail, but Dan and I were the only ones on it for the three hours we rode. To look at the trail, your first impression is that it will be “a ride in the park”; wide road so you can ride side by side, no obvious obstacles, shaded so no overheating, and no obvious inclines. But I guess I forgot to take the name of the trail – Big Sandy Creek – seriously! Much of the trail was outright sandy, and some of it was just pine needles over sand!! This caused quite a strain on the upper thigh. Especially on the long, steady climb out, which didn’t seem like much of a downhill on the way in at all. But it was a lovely setting, almost completely canopied over the entire route, and birds singing continuously. The information sign at the trail head warned of venomous snakes, including copperhead, water moccasin, coral snake, and rattlesnake. About half way through the ride, I saw (too late) a small (baby?) snake slither right into my path, and it looked exactly like the picture of the coral snake! I couldn’t stop or swerve in time, so I had to run right over it. That was kind of creepy! I assume I killed it, wouldn’t you think the entire weight of a human being running over a snake would squish it? Dan reassured me that it was “probably okay”. I’ll never know, and that’s okay! Later, Dan saw two adult feral pigs and three piglets. He was ahead of me a bit, so by the time I caught up, they had scurried off into the woods. On our way back, however, I was able to catch a glimpse of the three piglets in about the same area, and again, they were running like mad to get off the trail and back into the cover of the trees. Our only other wildlife encounter was when we stopped for an apple break, and I set my foot down on an ant hill. I can’t believe how quickly my ankle was covered with ants!! I only counted one bite, though. Like I said, the ride was a bit more challenging than it appeared at first glance. There were a couple of creek and muddy area crossings, and a couple of downed trees to negotiate. And the climb out seemed to go on forever (I think we need to ride our bikes more often?). But, I was glad I could still do it, even if my mountain biking skills are a little rusty. We had lunch back in the parking area and I was glad I packed us a lot of food, I was starving! Attached are some pictures of the area.