A Tale of Two Trails (and Two Bikes)

Hanna Park on the Boyson Trail Tuesday night, hybrid bike next to closed exercise equipment--at least the bike is still open.

My road bike (above and below) at Lowe Park Trail in the outdoor public art display near the art museum there.

I didn’t plan it exactly that way, but on Tuesday and today, I took roughly equal rides on two different trails on two different bicycles.

Both rides were just under 9 miles, and both involved trails that are near my home in Cedar Rapids (although both trails are mostly in Marion, an adjoining city).

On Tuesday, I rode my hybrid bike on the Lindale and Boyson trails. On Wednesday, I rode my road bike to the Lowe Park Trail.

I think I made better images Wednesday, because I toted my good Nikon SLR camera. The camera Tuesday was a point-and-shoot Canon.

There were a few more critters and people around on Tuesday, and I rode with my face bandana in place. While on the Boyson Trail, near the woodsy hill near were the trail splits to go either to Hanna Park or Mendards, I noticed a small herd of deer at the bottom of the hill, hanging out at the edge of the woods.

After climbing the Brentwood Drive Hill, I rode down the bike lane on Boyson Road to the Boyson Trail. Shadows of some trees (and a biker, if you look) near the north end of the trail.

Deer at bottom of woody hill seen from Boyson Trail.

Pretty light on unpaved leg of Lindale Trail.

Up ahead--a VW Beetle with legs--racoon starts to cross trail. It saw me and turned back, but was clearly in no hurry.

One deer had been on the trail, but moved quickly to the group as I approached.

Later in the ride, on my homeward trip down the Lindale Trail, what appeared to be a VW Beetle with four stubby legs appeared and started to cross the trail. It was the distinctive shape of one of the badass animals of these parts, the fearless trash panda—the raccoon.

It saw me coming and paused and considered. I think maybe it was counting my calories. I must have seemed like an unhealthy snack, because the VW did a leisurely U turn and ambled off into the vegetation. In no hurry. It’s only a human. Trash pandas don’t care.

Neither animals nor people were as common on my ride tonight. It was chilly both nights, but maybe the difference was that the Lowe Park Trail is on the edge of town, while the Boyson-Lindale Trails are easily accessible from many residential neighborhoods in both Cedar Rapids and Marion.

View of sky along Tower Terrace Road on the ride to the Lowe Park Trail Wednesday night.

Low sun Wednesday on the Lowe Park Trail.

There are lots of wildflower fields at Lowe Park.

Final look at sky as I finish Wednesday ride at Lowe Park.

I enjoyed the solitude of tonight’s ride.

The ride tonight was a bit quicker. The road bike is a faster steed. But the difference is also the trails—the Lowe Park Trail ride is on streets to a fully paved trail. While part of the Lindale Trail is paved, and part of Tuesday’s ride was on streets, most of the Tuesday ride was on a bumpy limestone surface.

My sister and I once did the 100-mile round trip to the Waterloo area via the Cedar River Trail. Past Center Point, the trail is not paved—and we noticed a significant loss of speed. On limestone, a bicycle slips a bit and tosses up rocks—all of which absorbs energy. On pavement, virtually all of the energy translated into motion.

So, no, hybrid bike, the slower pace Tuesday wasn’t just you. Of course, it may have been partly me, although to be honest, I think I felt better on Tuesday than today. (Not COVID-19, it’s just that my sinuses and breathing vary from day to day anyway, and Tuesday was a better day).

Well, I don’t mind the local unpaved trails. The Sac & Fox, which I described just a few days ago, is one of my favorite places on a bicycle in Cedar Rapids.

Still, as the experience of these two late day local rides shows, there is a case to be made for cement or asphalt.

Wednesday night ride (above) on the bike computer. Tuesday night ride (below) on screen shot from linked cell phone app.