A couple of days after my last ride to the Hosie, I decided to take a ride to the three dams above Jessup. Since it was a weekday, I figured I would have the mountain to myself, free of the ATV’s that take over the trails on the weekends.

I started from my house, and turned onto Route 247 up Jessup Mountain. Once I rode under the Casey Highway, I took a left onto a service road that runs parallel to the highway. This part of the ride is all uphill and its a heck of a way to start the ride. In fact most of this ride will be uphill today.

Once I entered the service road, which is paved, I crested a small hill and raced to the bottom where I would pick up the dirt road at the bottom. After entering the dirt road, it would be nothing but one section of climbing after another.

The dirt road leading to the first dam is in very poor condition. It has deteriorated greatly since the land surrounding it was purchased from the water company by the Theta group. At times the road is silted or completely washed out. When I first began mountain biking, this was one of my favorite rides. The road was in much better condition and there were not as many ATV’s to contend with. ATV’s account for most of the damage to the road.

As I entered the dirt road, it began with a slight right curve that started to incline to a section that had a series of bumps, much like moguls on a ski slope. I dropped down to a low gear and began the ascent. It wasn’t long before I had to get off the bike and hoof it to the top of the hill. I remounted the bike and after a few more small hills, I arrived at the first dam.

This section of road had eroded to the point where half of it dissappeared into the stream that feeds the dams. I pedalled on , crossed the stream in a shallow section and dismounted again. This section, leading to the second dam is the worst section of the ride. The erosion can be measured by the foot. Its a boulder field that would challenge most riders. I walked to the top of this section, rounded a small curve, and there before me was the second, and most impressive of the dams. Built during the depression, the dam consisted of a step design that at one time reached appox 60 feet high. It was quite a sight in its day. Unfortunately, a few years ago, the water company, claiming it was becoming too weak, lowered it significantly. There was plenty of vandalism everywhere. A torched shell of an SUV laid at the bottom of the dam.

I sat at the edge of the dam overlooking the water ans snacked on an energy bar. A pair of mallard ducks paddled below. After a short time, I remouinted the bike and headed for the last dam. At the back of the second dam, the trail crosses the feeder stream with a very primitive bridge that has been maintained by ATV riders. It consists of a pile of mismatched planks and sheets of wood, haphazardly slapped together. But it was sturdy and serves its purpose.

I crossed the bridge and was soon upon another technical section of the trail. Here the road took a sharp right turn up a small hill that was jumble of rocks. I usually lose my momentom, or spin out and have to walk to the top. But today, I picked out a line and was able to climb it without a hitch. I was encouraged.

The next section included a short silted section that lead to a severely washed out section of the trail that led to the top of the last dam. Here you can ride across the top on a dirt road. After which you have to cross a shallow spillway to reach the other side. I was able to get across the spillway, but had to dismount to climb the short, steep wall on the other side. After climbing out of the water I remounted the bike and proceeded to another very technical section of the trail. Like the previous section, you have to pick out a good line up the trail to get to the top. I rarely get to the top in the saddle in the past. But today I was able to again reach the top without dismounting. Hmm, how’d I do that I thought to myself, but I’ll take it

This next section pops out near the metal power lines that traverses the mountain. Here I followed the service road that runs along the power lines. The road is in much better condition than the trail to the dams. I was happy to see a very poor section was recently re-surfaced making the last part of the climb a lot easier.

As I rode along this section, enjoying the ride, I suddenly heard a very large bull dozer off to my left. I could see it plainly now. It was flattening trees just beyond the power lines. This is the road the people of SLIBCO decided to put in to link the Valley View Business Park between Archibald and Jessup. I was disgusted at the sight….it was clearing a section that I would normally ride down the mountain.

I continued my ride along the power lines until I reached Salem Road that runs between Archibald and Cortez. Since the bull dozer was tearing up the trail below, I decided to just turn the bike around and head back on the same trail.

Since this road was recently resurfaced by PPL, it made for a thrilling ride down the mountain to where I first picked up the road. Instead of going back to the third dam, I continued down along the power lines where I again reached incredible speeds. But at the bottom of this section, I was again confronted with more damage from the road buildiing project. This was an area I had rode frequently, but it was now gone. In its place, were piles of rocks and trees pushed around in a random order that made no sense to me at all. I road around this section trying to grasp the damage. Upset by what I saw, I soon turned around, picked up a trail that led back to the bottom of the mountain and finished the ride.

I was exhausted after the ride, but with mixed emotions. I was encouraged by my small accomplishments, but was also very upset at the damage I found on the mountain.