This past week I visited both Boyne Mountain and Highlands checking out the mountain bike park at the Highlands and all the cross-country biking trails at both resorts along with some other new outdoor activities they now offer.
I first saw the mountain bike park a couple of years ago when they were first starting it up and thought it was incredible at that time. It's a fast moving experience. The bike park is modeled after popular North Shore designs of the upper Northwest and Vancouver areas.
Now it's even bigger with a lot more stunts, jumps and rails. It features naturally cut trails with banked turns, heart pumping jumps and narrow passages requiring lots of expert maneuvering. It was more than I cared to try, but it was fun watching others ride it.
Rich Bye, who has cut most of the trails and erected the many stunts, takes an almost Zen-like approach to trail building.
"I want riders to feel at one with their bike and the land when they enter the trail system," he enthused. "I try to keep it as natural as possible using what has fallen."
Many of the rail-like stunts utilize fallen logs by shaving the top flat so it can be ridden, and many of the jumps go over piles of logs that have fallen naturally on each other.
Riders going through this maze look like something out of American Gladiators with all the padding, protection and helmets, but when you are flying downhill through trees on rails and logs with jumps ranging anywhere from a couple of feet to drops of 10 or more feet you need plenty of protection.
People occasionally get hurt. It is a dangerous sport, but those that participate for the thrill of it recognize that and accept the risks, said bike park manager Jason Wagner.
"It's like skiing or snowboarding. You know there are risks, but for the fun of it you are willing to accept those risks," he pointed out. "We have all riders entering the bike park maze sign a waiver of risk, which they are willing to accept.
"The park is drawing riders from all over the state now that it's getting to be known. They all seem to love the stunts that we've created, and keep asking for more. There's nothing else like it in the midwest."
For the thrill seekers there are probably seven or eight downhill runs ranging from a mile up to a mile-and-a-half in length with stunts built into them.
For the rest of us mountain bikers that like to keep our wheels on the ground, both the Highlands and Mountain offer miles of lift-served cross-country trails. You can take the lift up at either resort and easily ride up to 10 or 15 miles. Not all of it will be downhill, like you might find at a western resort, but a portion of it is; and, besides, it's just nice starting out on top. There are probably close to 30 miles of trails at both resorts and all are open to the public. There is a cost to use the lifts and the bike park.
At the Mountain they now have a seven mile paved trail -- open daily to the public -- that allows you to ride over the Mountain to the shores of Deer Lake and back. It's fairly aerobic with some good uphill climbs but equally long, fun downhill runs. About a two-and-a-half-mile portion of the ride does share Boyne Mountain Road with limited vehicle traffic, but the rest is all paved trail. It offers some scenic overlooks of Deer Lake, the golf courses and surrounding countryside from some of the higher elevations.
Another neat thing that I really enjoyed at the Mountain was riding their Diggler Mountain Scooters, which is basically a scooter with a platform to stand on, oversized tires and a tall steering handle equipped with dual brakes. They have both a non-motorized version and one equipped with an electric motor. It's a little like riding a snowboard, but much easier. If you can stand and steer, you can ride one.
The non-motorized version was a blast to take up the lift and ride down a mile-and-a-half paved trail -- all downhill -- from the top back to the village. They rent for $10 an hour from Boyne Country Sports, and it's as many rides as you can get in.
I took the electric motor version around the seven mile pathway, stopping at the Beach House on Deer Lake for a bite to eat along the way. Seeing the sunset over the lake from higher elevations along the trail on the way back was priceless. It was also a lot of fun, and -- even though you have to help push it up some of the steeper hills with leg kicks -- much easier than pedaling around the trail. They rent for $20 an hour.
For more information on the bike park, hours of lift operations, and other summertime activities, you can log onto boyne.com.
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Lusetich: AT&T Rd. 3 recap
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Head
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Absolute Lin-sanity
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Test on Comforter in Powell Unit Shows Blood
Hero Driver Saves Kids From Burning Bus
Funeral to be held for Powell boys
