On a sunny afternoon in early November,2024, Janet Smith and Bob Laney (me) went pedaling at Blue Clay Bike Trail Park for the first time. It is advertised as a mountain bike trail, but being in New Hanover County near the coast, there were not any mountains. There are three trails designated as beginner, intermediate and expert. The expert trail does contain some short, steep climbs and tight turns. Janet and I stayed on the beginner trail, and it was plenty of fun.
Biking on dirt, grass and roots was new to Janet. Even without hills, the sometimes-rough trail surface and tight squeezes between trees were uncomfortable for her. I have done a considerable amount of mountain biking at several professionally prepared trails in Wilkes County and Watauga County. They are tough enough that the Appalachian State University mountain bike team practices there. And multi-state competitions are held there. I biked on the rough trails for a number of years, but as I got older, I could not handle the steepness and the exposure of falling off the trail down a steep hill.
We were pleasantly surprised with the views. Most of the trail is in a mixed pine and hardwood forest. A few places were in open fields and passed a pond. We will go back again.
A good time was had by all.
