Biking Around the Lake

If you live in Missouri there is only one “lake” the Lake of the Ozarks.  I use to have as many as four meetings a year at the lake.  The meetings were always useful, and I got important information that I could not easily get any place else.  Still there was plenty of time when I was not in meetings that were good times to ride.  Unfortunately there were not a lot of good places to ride, especially riding where there are lake views.   That was not so true thirty years ago,  there were numerous roads that were decent places to ride.  Now the traffic has increased.  The many curving and rollings roads with little or no shoulder are not nice places to ride when there are lots of traffic, especially when many are pulling trailers.

 Hard to believe that guy has not hurt someone.

One place that I enjoyed riding was around the residences at Porto Cima.  This is the upscale community across the toll bridge from the main Lake Ozark business area.  There are actually several communities on the tip of the old MM peninsula.  Riding around them is pleasant, with nice lake views and minimal traffic.  I have ridden around this area for more than 12 years, virtually every time I come to the lake.  I have enjoy seeing what has been built since the last time was there.  I usually make a loop, and ride the loop 3 times totaling 20+ miles.

Unfortunately it takes preparation to go to Porto Cima.  Need to get into riding clothes, then go across the  toll bridge, find a safe, but unobstruciting place to park a car, then get out the bike and ride.  It would be easier if I could just ride from whatever old resort I am staying at.

That’s right “old resort”  I like the old resorts that are around the lake.  Many built in the 40’s.  They don’t have much in the way of luxury, but they usually have decent views of the water because they are usually built within feet of the water.  They have become more and more difficult to find.  The good ones are also good locations for condo’s and are worth much more as condo’s than as weekend and summer rentals.

There are still several of these old resorts down HH which runs by the Lodge of Four Seasons.  The old resorts that have become the location for new condo’s and have brought a larger number of near permanent residents.  Many of these want safe places to walk, run or ride.  Consequently they have built a paved sidewalk alongside the road, but up above the curb.  This puts me away from the traffic.  From Susan Road and Point Randall to Mallard Point is 7 ½ miles, doubling that when you ride back with some decent hills and nice rolling ride.  The intersections are handicapped accessible, and you need to keep an eye out for turning traffic.  It is a pleasant ride.

It is hard to get a picture of the hills, but when you ride off of HH and ride up and down the sides of the hills you get a good workout.  Like at Porta Cima you can ride the ridge, ride down off the ridge to ride by the water, but then you have to ride back up to the ridge.  These are short steep sections that put you into oxygen depletion, and build the lung capacity.

I did find some interesting signs along the route.....

I wonder what they thought the definition of "vehicle" was....I certainly felt that a bike was a vehicle.  I even looked up the definition of a vehicle...."any means in or by which someone travels or something is carried or conveyed; a means of conveyance or transport: a motor vehicle; space vehicles.....a conveyance moving on wheels, runners, tracks, or the like, as a cart, sled, automobile, or tractor" (thank you Dictionary.com) If they did not call it a "hiking and biking trail" I would think I was not allowed.  If bikes are allowed, what "self-propelled" vehicle are they worried about?

I also missed a good picture of some road kill…an armadillo.  I was on a steep downhill stretch with traffic behind me and vultures enjoying the road kill.  I wish I had stopped!