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Jan. 27--Grey sky at Waldo's Rock Park.
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Six days separate my latest two bike rides.
It’s been a bit of bummer this January, to be so seldom being out on two wheels. I’ve make a halfhearted effort to ride an indoor bike for exercise during dreary ride-hostile days, but it’s honestly not the same.
It seems actually being outside is a huge part of my biking experience. Without the wind, the trees, the trail, the people, the deer, the birds, the walkers, joggers and things to see and experience, biking is just not as enjoyable.
And lately, outdoor riding hasn’t happened much. The theme for January this winter in Iowa has been arctic cold followed by a weird winter wet and warm interlude, with daily rains.
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Jan. 21--On Lindale Trail bride. It's better than it looks. the snow is so thin riding on it wasn't bad.
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Jan. 21--Trail behind Amoco and Popeye's has not been cleared of snow, so I have to navigate a short city block. The street has been plowed for cars, but the deep salty slush is show going on a bicycle. In contrast, trail pavement is pretty clear.
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So, it was nice, in the past week, to be out twice. I rode 7.11 miles on Sunday, Jan. 21, and 11.7 miles today, Saturday, Jan. 27. I guess 7 and 11 must be my lucky numbers this week.
They were contrasting rides, although both were late afternoon rides. My life seems to be filled with busy days—either I’m putting in lots of hours at work during the week or I have family events on the weekend. To be honest, while I do look forward to a more relaxing schedule this summer, I enjoy both the work and the fam, so it’s not bad to be busy the way that I am. But it does cut into rolling time.
So last Sunday, at the end of the arctic blast, I rode a few miles on the Boyson Trail. Snow on the road was a challenge. The trails had been cleared, but not all of the sidewalks or streets I used to get there—the Sunday ride convinced me that Monday would a be a driving day, and cold rain the rest of the workweek did the same trick.
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Jan. 21--Deer seen near north end of Boyson Trail, just as I am deciding it's time to head back home. "Hey pinky," I imagine them thinking. "We don't have warm houses to go to. What's your excuse for being out here?"
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Despite being “warm,” it was darn cold. It was about 18 degrees with a stiff wind—my phone weather app put the wind chill at about zero Fahrenheit. I was toying with maybe aiming for 10 miles, but after a short ride into the wind, determined that I would just be happy with what I got and I headed home.
Today was different. For one thing, I was not going to ride the Boyson Trail—part of it is limestone, and days this week have been both wet and above freezing, which means that part of the trail would be mushy and sloppy. I knew from ruts on the Jan. 21 ride that not all bikers share my philosophy, but I just don’t enjoy furrowing a trail like a plow and would rather not, thank you.
But the sidewalks and little piece of street I would use to get to the Lindale Trail are clearer now, thanks to a week of melting. Even where they have not been shoveled well, pavement is showing on the sidewalks.
So, today I got the Fancy Beast out and mounted it at about 4:30. I was planning a quick sojourn, maybe another 7-mile ride before darkness set in.
I headed east. There were a few places, at intersections, where I was glad to be mounted on my trusty winter beater mountain bicycle, where snow speed bumps from street plows were still in place, but by and large the trail was clear. My one concession to the winter was that I didn’t ride on bike lanes, which I usually use when crossing Marion on the Grant Wood Trail. Today, the little pavement interfaces that lead from the sidewalk portion of the trail to the street trail part of the route were still blocked with sone.
Never mind. I didn’t think traffic would be heavy on the wide walkway along the trail route, and I was right. While I did encounter one other biker on the trail and saw several walkers and joggers, the trail traffic was decidedly light.
And I just kept rolling. I wasn’t as dressed—no long johns, no scarf. It was in the 30s and not terribly breezy, a grey, damp, but decidedly warmer day.
I expected to get to Highway 13 and then turn around. I know the city of Marion clears its trails, but I am also aware that Linn County does not. (And I don’t want that to sound like a complaint—I understand traffic and walking and other considerations means it makes sense for the cities to clear their trails, while the many more miles and many fewer trail users makes the opposite decision by the county pretty clearly understandable).
Anyway, the Highway 13 tunnel is marked as the interface between city and county, so I expected that to be the end of snow clearance and the outer limits of my ride. I was pleasantly surprised that the city carried on, clearing the trail all the way to Waldo’s Rock City Park on the east edge of Marion.
Beyond that, trail seems snowbound, so I stopped, made a selfie where the snow clearing ended, and then mounted up, circled the pond at Waldo’s Rock and headed back for home.
It was getting full dark, but it was cloudy and I was not out in the county. If you have a low cloudy evening in the city, the clouds act like a giant reflector and the “dark” areas of the trail have far more ambient light than you might expect.
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Jan. 21--Very cold late afternoon ride, me near north end of Boyson Trail, when I turned back towards home.
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On Jan. 21, I was glad to put in over 7 miles but also very glad to return to a warm house and relieve the deep chill in my old bones Today, I kind of wished I had started earlier. The day was very grey, but from a biking point of view, much more rider friendly.
In any case, in two rides of 1’s and 7’s, I had contrasting experiences, but enjoyed them both. That’s the thing about the outside, even if you go to some of the same places and ride the same trails, it’s different from day to day, and I love that difference.
This next week may be different. It will continue to be in the 30s, but is not forecast to include daily rain showers. Perhaps there are more miles coming soon! So far in 2024, 94.18 miles.
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Jan. 27--A much warmer bike ride, me with bike parked where the snow clearing ends, where trail meets Waldo's Rock Park.
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