Hot Ride on a Trail that Does Not Go North

The end of the road, for now, with some tantalizing new pavement further north.  When will the trail open?

I had not gone north on the Cedar Valley Trail since RABGRAI, and I knew that they had finished paving the trial because I saw the paving work before the big cross-state ride.

So today, when I left Mount Mercy around 1:30, I decided to take the trail route home, and to head north just to see if they had opened the trail.  As I reached Boyson Road, I saw the “trail closed north of County Home Road” sign.  Well, darn.  Maybe they opened the trail but forgot to take down the signs?

It was hot, in the upper 90s, and heat waves were radiating off of the asphalt of the trail as I peddled gingerly north.  I brought my MMU water bottle, and was glad I did.  By the time I went north about 3 ¼ miles to confirm that the trail was indeed still closed, I was almost glad it was.

If it had been opened, I might have felt duty bound to ride on it, but I was running low on water and had not eaten lunch yet.  So about 2:30, I reached trail’s end and headed back south.

It looks done, from the south end, and I hope it does open soon.  The hot afternoon reminded me a bit of RAGBRAI, but upper 90s is still not 105, I’m happy to report.