Staying close to home

The powerline trail Bethany to Pleasant rd. Sycamore>>>Dekalb

In preparation for the winter I have been investigating all areas that have some trees and are located close to my residence. Last year was my first winter in this area and I was foolish to venture out in the fields when the weather can change on the drop of a dime. One time I flatted and my co2 cartridges froze. So did I once I was on my 5 mile of walking towards the house. Lucky for me a gentleman of a farmer picked me up in his truck and blasted the heating to bring me back to life. My second disaster ride came when I ventured out west and got caught in a freak winter storm and soaked my gloves through.
I had frostbite on all my fingers and they hurt for a while. I am glad to have found some plastic that had snagged on some barbed wire. I wrapped said plastic and rode home like a Big Dummy.
This year I am taking a different approach. I have found some unfinished trail that can take me from Bethany rd. in an angle all the way to Dekalb and dump me right on Pleasant street. The trail is all offroad following the powerlines. Twice already I have been doing a lot of cleaning and trimming of bushes. Yesterday I spent 3 hours there and when I was done I took a break and had some whiskey out of my Surly Flask. I felt good. I am working on my 29er gearing and after talking to my pal at Sram I will go ahead and replace the 34x17 with a 34x18. On traditional 26ers the starting combo is a 2x1 but since 29ers have bigger wheels you have to up that a bit. I think the 18 in the back is going to be the ticket. I am also going to try to mess around with some tubeless stuff to lessen my rolling resistance.
My new powerline trail will be good to hide in the winter. Once it snow I will tackle it with some Nokian Extremes on the Rockhopper. There is also a sub-loop to be done that is 1 mile long. 100 loops= 100 miles. Do it!!
I have also set up the kreitler rollers upstairs at the shop. They have a fork holder, there is a fan, music and windows that open. Anyone interested give me a call.
Ari