In Which I Contemplate Triple Digits, Deer, RAGBRAI

Lindale Trail late in the ride--light growing dim, rode today with all of the lights on The Fancy Beast shining.

I plan to ride to work on Monday, the final day of January, but squeezed in a quick late afternoon ride today just as insurance.

Because I wanted to top 100 miles this January, and was very close. I rode 6.79 miles on the nearby Boyson and Lindale trails with the mountain bike. It was cloudy today, and I didn’t start until after 4:30 p.m. Thus, I rode with lights in on a gradually darkening trail.

But I finished in about an hour, and although it was getting dim, never was full dark on this ride. I encountered groups of deer twice, so we interrupt this fascinating biking saga for a rather long interlude of many, may deer images:

Deer, part of a group of eight or so,south part of ride. More:

 

Deer me! Thanks if you're still with me. Got a bit carried away there, enjoyed watching the deer and making there images. Anyway, besides lots of pictures of Bambi, I reached my goal for January. The loop I rode totaled 6.79 miles, giving me, as of today, 105.83 miles—almost 6 miles over my goal for the month. That leaves a bit less than 2,900 miles to go for the year.

OK, it's another deer, group of four on Lindale Trail. Lucky for you, patient blog reader, the light was too dim to make many images.

Dim evening light on Lindale Trail. Grey, cool time, but starkly pretty, too.

Will any of those miles be on RAGBRAI? That would be nice, although I still don’t know what my personal or the pandemic situation will be by that time. My wife and I are hoping that we can travel this summer, and we sort of have two years of pent up traveling to make up for. Between that, and the potential for kids and grandkids to finally be able to travel to meet us, squeezing RAGBRAI into the schedule may be difficult.

But I like the route, which was announced Saturday. It’s a northern ride—northern Iowa is hillier than most of the state, and pretty. The ride usually has a 100-mile optional day, although this year it’s just a “regular” day. I don’t know for sure if I’m up to 100 miles in one day this summer, but I’ve ridden centuries before, so it’s possible.

2022 route, from RAGBRAI.com.

Mostly, I’m interested in the last few days. The last time RAGBRAI ventured this far north and ended in Lansing, I got an eye infection mid-week and had to drop out. By all accounts, the ride into Lansing was extremely challenging—steep hills—but also gorgeous.

Well, hills I can usually handle. I would like to see the scenery in far northeast Iowa—rougher than most of this gently rolling state because the last round of glaciers tens of thousands of years ago didn’t grind down the hills there.

Family has to take priority, and I’m iffy on attempting the whole week. Yet, I would like to be there, if possible. And a few RAGBRAI day would sure contribute to making the 3,000-mile 2022 goal.

In Which One of Two Epic Rides Is a Century

View of downtown Cedar Rapids from west of river on trail that leads the the Ellis Park area.

As I write this, I’m feeling a bit faded, a pale imitation of CR Biker.

Two scoops of strawberry ice cream, two beers (that’s a sequence, understand, not a recipe) and 100 miles on a bike can do that to me.

Yup—100 hundred miles. And it was only one of two epic rides this week—the other was only 35 miles or so, but it was, in its own way, epic, too.

Back to today. I met my sister around 8, but she had some prep to do on her bike, so it was probably 8:30 when we launched the ride. Our goal was to get many miles in—it was going to get hot today, so we decided it was better to ride easy, flat trail miles and not aim for climbs.

In the back of both of our minds was the same question: We both wondered whether “many miles” meant 100.

Anyway, we headed north on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. We circled the little loop in Robins both coming and going, and rode all the way to Center Point. The morning was fine and fair, sunny and not windy.

But by the time we got back to CR, the heat was hot. The muggy day was warming up.

Lunch was New Bo, and I have it on my “list” to take Audrey there. If time allows, we may take Jon and Nalena there, too—the New Bo City Market has lots of great eateries. Last time, I had Asian dumplings. This time, I went to a Mediterranean cuisine booth, and had a gyro and falafel.

Lunch was a much needed break around noon. When we went out to continue our ride, that afternoon had become very warm and humid.

Luckily, it never got really super hot, but it was definitely a “warm weather” RAGBRAI practice day.

Next, we did a loop around Prairie Park Fishery, and then went back to the Cedar River Trail, headed south. We stopped at the city park at the edge of town, just to rest for 10 minutes or so in shade before the last leg to Ely. It was warm enough we were being careful not to overdo it.

At Ely, we found the legendary creamery, which neither of us had been to before, was open. I’ve been by the building several times and never seen it in use before. We stopped in, and I heartily recommend it. Great ice cream, nice funky atmosphere. I had Butter Pecan and Strawberry, one generous scoop of each, and it was just what Joe needed to take the edge off of a hot bike ride.

Ely ice cream stop, totally a good idea. My bowl, above, and interior and exterior views of the creamery, below.

Ely ice cream people—put signs on the trail side of your building. From Main Street, the creamery stands out, but a lot of your business will come from Cedar Rapids bikers, who may not even know you’re there as they cycle by.

Anyway, it was still warm when we left Ely to head back north, but the worst of the heat was over. Later in the afternoon, it was turning a bit more pleasant. My sister and I were in Cedar Rapids again when a passing biker called out, “hey, you guys.”

But the encounter was so fast, we both speculated that the person who hailed us had simply mistaken us for someone else.

Luckily, the young lady in question turned around and followed us, calling “Joe, Cate!” It was one of my daughters, out for a ride on the trail with a friend. They had ridden seven miles, and were suitably impressed that Cate and I had already ridden 60 miles.

Hmm. Maybe this 100 thing isn’t too crazy …

Onward. We were getting sore and tired, but the day was getting nicer, and we both discussed whether to go for a century. We decided we would go ahead and do the side trip to Ellis Park, which would put make a century possible, and then assess how we felt about going on.

Saw this odd looking grey goose among black-and-white Canada geese on  west side of Cedar River on the way to Ellis Park. Another species? A hybrid? A goose bitten by a radioactive snowman who has yet to discover his super powers?

I didn’t see any sign of the eagle pair who in the past nested on the east side of the Cedar River, and whose nest could be seen from the trail on the west. CR peeps, are the eagle couple still around?

Anyway, the ride to Ellis and back was fine, and we were in pretty good spirits as we neared Cedar Lake again. We chanced upon the second colleague from work that I met today, and we mentioned to him that we had ridden over 70 miles and were thinking of aiming for 100. It was late in the afternoon, but he put the case pretty clearly: “Well, why wouldn’t you?”

So we circled Cedar Lake, rode to the New Pioneer Coop so Cate could add air to her sagging rear tire, and then circled the lake twice more. That way, when we got to BurgerFiend for supper, we already had around 90 miles done.

The day was getting old and we were running with lights on. We rode behind Walgreens on the Lindale Trail, and did several loops in the Boyson Trail complex and in related neighborhoods in Marion. My sister at one point missed a turn, and we ended up riding on 11th Street to the Menards Area, but that was OK. By now, easy miles were our goal anyway.

At about 95 miles, I stopped to steal a leaf from a Milkweed plant. My wife and I adopted a caterpillar Saturday at the Indian Creek Nature Center, so I needed to do some grocery shopping for the baby.

Luckily, I turned over the first leaf before pocketing it—there was a tiny caterpillar on the underside. I gently laid that leaf back on the plant and picked another leaf, which seemed free to stowaways.

Then we rode to my house. And then we passed my house and rode a bit more and came back (I was a quarter mile short of the century, which would not do).

Bike computer at end of Sunday ride.

My bike computer showed a bit more than 101 miles, but the GPS in my phone recorded it as a century. 100 miles, done! That called for two beers.

The other epic ride? I picked up Clarence from the Marion bike shop Wednesday, and on Friday decided to celebrate its return with a longish ride on that bike.

I rode to the Prairie Park Fishery and then to the Sac and Fox Trail. It has been a long time since I rode the S and F, and it’s in decent shape. I still would like to get a mountain bike in riding shape just for this trail, which is a bit sandy in some spots, and more like a gravel road than a bike trial in others.

Still, I’ve been on this trail when it’s much worse than it was Friday. And I noted that they have replanted many of the young trees that died after a big city sewer project in that area. It was another hot summer day, and even if I did not ride 100 miles that day, the more than 30 miles I did ride included a hot trip up the Cottage Grove hill, and that counts for something.

RAGBRAI! You’re coming up too soon, but after these two epic rides, I do feel like I’m as ready as I can be.

74th Street. I don't like it when people park in bike lanes, and don't like it when those doing road work forget that lane has a purpose.

New brake shoes on Clarence.

CR Biker as mirror star. I have installed new mirrors like the one I already had on Clarence.

This and reaming images--views of the Sac and Fox Trail.

In Which I Ride The Hill and Install New Technology

Bottom of Bowman Woods hill. This is looking west from the east  side of the hlll--it's a much bigger hill. The steep part is around the bend. This is on the afternoon ride, in the morning I climbed the west side of the hill. After taking the picture, I rode up the hill.

The computer, the lights and Francis.

I rode the neighborhood hill this morning as the start of more serious RAGBRAI training. I ride up the MMU hill each morning when I commute, so I get some hill practice—but getting ready for RAGBRAI is not just putting in the time and miles (even if it is mainly putting in the time and miles), but also getting comfortable with a lot of uphill riding.

Which is a minor problem in Cedar Rapids. We’re not exactly a flat part of Iowa, but we’re sure not Dubuque (or Muscatine). There are a fair number of modest rolls in the land, but not many monster hills. And even if this is a relatively short, relatively flat RAGBRAI, don’t let that “relatively” fool you. On certain days there will be plenty of hills.

So there needs to be hills in my practice. Luckily, I live near one of the big hills—the Bowman Woods hill. You head up Brentwood Drive and then Crandall Drive to reach the summit, and it’s pretty good RAGBRAI practice.

I rode up the hill twice today—once in the morning during my ride to the gym, and once in the afternoon. More on that ride soon.

The ride up the hill actually felt pretty good. My RAGBRAI legs from last year aren’t totally gone. And it has me thinking—is this the year? Once in my RAGBRAI career, I want to do it.

The 100-mile loop. Maybe in 2014? I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about it.

Anyway, we had to take our van in for service today, and while we were waiting for the work be be done, we did a little shopping. I picked up a new bike computer and some spoke lights.

At around 5, I decided to install the new computer. It took about 30 minutes, and when I got all done, I decided to go for a ride. And the computer didn’t register anything—would not detect the motion of the bike.

Well, I’m sure 100 percent of you bikers know what the problem was. I needed to move the magnet and detector closer together. I fiddled with it several times in the first half-mile of my ride, and by the time I got to the corner of C Avenue and Blairs Ferry, the computer was working.

It’s not has fancy as one I lost—it has no thermometer, for example. But it’s bigger, and my old eyes will appreciate that.

And I never used the old one for the thermometer anyway. What do you think, blog fans? Should the new computer record a 100-mile ride this summer?

Installation done, ready for ride, or so I thought. It took some playing before the new computer would register the motion of the bike, but eventually I got it working.