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Entering in the vicinity of the northern-most "[P]" in the Dorr Run area indicated in the below map, our first ride out introduced us to trails that were wide and inviting, yet full-featured with numerous dips and natural whoops that allowed for brief periods of airtime. The hills were longer than those generally found in northern Illinois, for example, and areas of tight curves and steep inclines kept things interesting.

Due to the earlier rain, the trails were damp but not necessarily muddy, and the sun even broke through that afternoon. From the beginning, it appeared the lack of fresh rubber on the CR's rear tire might cause some trouble, but deeper into the woods the soil was more tacky than slick.

On our more nimble bikes, we would quickly pull away from Randy on his Warrior, waiting for him to catch up at major intersections. We made our way east, down a large hill and across a gravel county road. Following a short creek crossing and another mile or two of trails, we came to an area punctuated by several steep hill climbs adjacent to the main trail.

Check out the take-off point on the hill just left of center (about five feet below the top).

After hitting the hills a few times, we made our way back to the trucks, fueled up and again rode a Dorr Run loop. This trip took us around some limestone-covered trails, through some dense undergrowth and down an old brick road that a sign indicated was a section of an old mining network.

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