CR Biker: In Which I Visit a Socially Isolated Buffalo

Paved trail in Marion that leads to The Grant Wood Trail.

Earlier this week, on a midday walk, my wife and I went to Waldo’s Rock, a city park in Marion, Iowa, that connects to The Grant Wood Trail.

We walked on the trail towards Marion, Iowa, and noted that, in the several years since we had ridden our mountain bikes on that trail, the connection to Marion has been extended. We drove back home, and kept cutting over on side streets to see how far into Marion the trail went.

It got to some streets I knew I had ridden my bike on before—in other words it seemed like I should be able to reach The Grant Wood Trail, a pretty cool, underused trail on the east side of Marion Iowa going into Linn County, from my house in Northeast Cedar Rapids. Via bicycle.

And today, much to my chagrin, it rained. Not heavily, but I wondered whether I would get a ride in. That, and I was working a lot today, too.

But by 3:30 or so in the afternoon, I was losing steam and the sun was shining, and I figured, what the heck? I had to work several hours tonight to make up for it, but I decided to give the trail a try.

I would have used my mountain bike, knowing this is not a fully paved trail, but I have not had its broken spoke fixed yet. Technically, I could probably replace a spoke, but I don’t trust myself to true a wheel, so there you have it.

So I decided to ride the hybrid bike. I aired the tyres and lubed the chain. The pavement by my house was mostly dry, and the sun shining on a cool but pretty spring afternoon. About 4, I launched Project Grant Wood Trail.

I went up C Avenue to the Lindale Trail, and then took the Boyson Trail to the bridge that leads to the Marion Schools athletic stadium. From there, I rode down 5th Avenue. I am not sure what cross street I saw the yellow signs to my left indicating a trail crossing, but I’m pretty sure it was in the 30s. It was wherever that painted city tank is, if you know Marion that well.

The city connector trail that leads to The Grant Wood Trail is very nice—paved in blacktop and featuring warning lights at street crossings. I cycled past some light industrial areas to the edge of town that was countryside in the city. The trail has a tunnel under Highway 13, and that’s where the trail switches to concrete and Linn County.

Just after going under the highway, you pass a pond off to the left that is in a city park called Waldo’s Rock. The rock is is a big glacier boulder next to a pond. There is not a lot at the park, but if I was on a summer bike ride, it would be a good snack or picnic spot. After the turnoff to the park, The Grant Wood Trail switches from paved to gravel.

Some views of the first gravel area of The Grant Wood Trail.

Which was a bit rough, although thankfully not mushy because we had not had that much rain. I would have liked to be riding my mountain bike at that point, but the trail was doable on a hybrid. The first time I rode this trail, several years ago, this gravel part was rough grass, so gravel is a step up.

Along The Grant Wood Trail east of Marion, there is a small pond which is down an embankment from the trail. A sign on the trail identifies is as a peat bog where, 5,000 years ago, there was a small lake that was large enough for a big prehistoric buffalo, of a species since extinct, to drown in. The skeleton was found by a farmer who allowed geologists from the University of Iowa to excavate the bones and keep them.

The buffalo was socially isolated for 5,000 years. Fortunately, I’m confident our COVID-19 social isolation won’t last quite as long.

One small step for a buffalo--oops!

After several more miles, I came to a T intersection with a gravel road. I knew the trail was supposed to continue somehow, but I didn’t know where (Linn County, some signs here might be helpful). However, as I was eating a small snack, which I had brought with me, two older gentlemen rode by. I asked them where the trail continued, and they informed me I would have to go along a county highway visible to the right 100 yards or so down the gravel road.

Well, at first I thought I would not bother, but curiosity got to me, and after the snack, I carried on. I think the ride along the highway was probably less than a mile—down an incline to a bridge, up the next side, and then there was a parking lot on the left where the trail continues.

But when I pulled into the parking lot, I noted the next leg was grass. On my mountain bike, I may have been tempted to continue riding for a while, but I decided this was the end of the ride on the hybrid.

Some views from the turnaround point.

I was about 10 miles from my house. All in all, the ride clocked in at a bit over 20 miles. It was my first ride in a while when I didn’t need any lights and kept my sun glasses on. This daylight riding thing…it’s not bad.

More images from the ride: