In Which Long Rides Bring Various Encounters

Rode with this flag on the front of my mountain bike in mostly blue, sunny skies. An image from one of my final commutes to work the week before Spring Break.

Spring Break 2024—in the past, my wife and I have sometimes planned a trip for the week I have off teaching at a university. We didn’t do that this year, partly because we knew there were several times we were going to watch grandchildren, but unusually warm weather (which is over for now) made for some good opportunities for bike rides.

For example, on March 11, a Monday, I went on my first ride of more than 50 miles this year, riding down the Cedar River Trail to the Hoover Trail, ending up in the town of Solon, about a 25-mile journey from my house.

It was a warm day, with the temperature reaching 70, but also quite windy, so the ride was something of a challenge. It was a cross breeze most of the time, but was more against me as I headed south—which was by design, I was hoping the wind would help me a bit on the way back home.

My bike in Nature Rec Area in Solon, Iowa.

A few days before the ride, I had a mildly unpleasant encounter with a group of teen boys on the Lindale Trail. Nothing too scary, they were just a bit rude to an old man on a bicycle.

And I had a feeling of déjà vu as I left Solon. Behind me I could hear adolescent voices chattering. In my mirror, at some distance, I could pick out three riders rolling along together, headed my way.

In the scheme of things, I’m a relatively slow biker, and I assumed what I knew was a group of teens would eventually overtake me. I decided I would try to not to care, and not rush myself.

Anyway, I was on my road bike, my fastest vehicle. As it turned out, while the following bikers would sometimes approach a bit, at other times I would roll ahead. They never got close enough for me to see them well.

A few miles north of Solon, I got to a rest area that is across a county highway, where I planned to rest a bit. On a ride of this length, I’m deliberate about taking some off-bike time, and this was a designated break.

And I was there, resting on the bench, when the teens rolled up. And it was a slight surprise—three teen girls, indifferent to an old man. It’s amazing to me that, at a distance, the conversational noises made by groups of adolescences can sound like the same background noise, whether made by girls or boys.

Anyway, the girls hopped off of their bikes and gathered to take a selfie, jostling for position for the phone camera.

“Do you want a picture from farther away than arm’s length?” I asked.

Well, they did. And I shot a picture for them with one of their phones.

Shortly afterwards, I headed out, and wished them a good ride. “You have a good ride too,” they cooed like a flock of birds.

That encounter was the more pleasant one. And the earlier one, to be fair, was a minor incident on an overall nice ride. The wind was sometimes a challenge this week, but rides were still unexpectedly good for this time of year. Not all my encounters were human--I saw lots of wildlife, including the first butterflies.

I rode the Sac and Fox Trail on Wednesday. That day, I cycled down the Cedar River Trail to the New Bo area, and headed down Otis Road to the south end of the trail. After circling the lake at Prairie Park Fishery, I entered the Sac and Fox Trail, an unpaved trail that I ride on my mountain bike several times a summer.

My bike on mountain bike trial next to the Sac and Fox Trail.

Frog statue in park at north end of Sac and Fox Trail, someone in the neighborhood always dresses it for the season. It's ready for Saint Patrick's Day.

The trail proved a pleasant surprise. In the past, there have been some soft sandy spots and some rocky gravel areas. I skipped about 2 miles of the 7-mile trail by taking a mountain bike route through the woods, but the 5 miles or so of the Sac and Fox that I did ride were in great shape. Last year, they must have covered most of the trail with a new limestone layer—there were no tricky soft sandy spots, no gravel areas to crunch over. The Sac and Fox is always a nice trail because of its scenery , but it was much more ride-able than in the past. I could have ridden my hybrid bike here.  I probably wouldn’t—I like having a mountain bike on this trail, partly for the option of cycling the woods—still, early in the season in 2024, Cedar Rapids bikers, check out the Sac and Fox.

What else is new in my corner of the biking universe? Something important to me.

A week ago, a daughter had an out-of-town trip planned, and my wife and I agreed to watch her 7-year-old son for a couple of days. And my wife decided that, with the nice weather, we would help him practice riding a bicycle, a skill he had not yet mastered.

She drove him to a school parking lot in Marion on Saturday, and I rode a bike there to meet them. By the time I got there, he was already practicing and doing fairly well. He only could ride a few yards, but was starting to get it.

In his final ride that day, he went maybe 25 yards, his longest solo bicycle journey. He had agreed to the biking session in exchange for playing at the school playground, so we stopped the Saturday practice and played.

Sunday, we went back, this time to a nearby intermediate school with a slightly newer, larger, flatter parking lot.

And the breakthrough was achieved. That weird transition that a person makes, when biking seems too difficult and scary and theoretical, and them something between their brain and body clicks, the balance that eluded them starts to appear and their muscles learn that all you have to do to balance a bike is to keep it rolling—well, it’s magical to see.

Grandson is suddenly a biker!

Another biker has joined the tribe this Spring Break. I hope it foreshadows some pleasant rides coming this summer.

The 50-mile ride March 11 was my longest of 2024. We spent several days in Des Moines at the end of this week, which has also turned seasonably cold, so after Thursday I didn’t add any miles. Still, between March 9 and 14, I rode almost 150 miles (149.47). It included the 50-mile day and several days over 25 miles. It included using all three bikes. It was a nice spring biking break.

So far, on this Saint Patrick’s Day, a bit over halfway through this month, this old half-Irish rider has cycled 210.53 miles for the month, and 566.21 miles this year. More pictures from this Spring Break week:

March 9--Grant Wood Trail east of Marion. It must be a spring thing--usually I see these blackbirds 1 or 2 at a time, but they were in large groups today. Felt a little Hitchcock.

March 12--Deer crossing Lindale Trail.

March 14--Pretty sky seen at creek bend on trail in Marion--the side trail off of the Boyson Trail near Menard's.

Riding alone the Sac and Fox Trail March 11.

More deer March 12, Lindale Trail. A group of more than a dozen were crossing the trail and disappearing into a small patch of woods.

March 14--Is this bridge on the Lindale Trail? The Grant Wood Trail? Somewhere where these trails run together.

Start of Sac and Fox Trail March 13.

March 10--Bike at Cedar Lake.

Pretty sky March 9 on Grant Wood Trail east of Marion.

March 14--Final late-day ride of Spring Break.

Seeing more insects in general, but this butterfly, on final Spring Break Ride March 14 beside Lindale Trail, is a bit unusual to see at this time of year.

March 11--Stop at the rest area between Ely on Solon during long ride.

March 7--Turkey on Lindale Trail.

In Which Early Spring Brings More Than 30 Miles

During Feb. 25 ride, I stop to check if first flowers have bloomed at Mount Mercy University Campus. They had.

Between Ely and Cedar Rapids on Hoover Trail, resting on a bench and enjoying the woods on Feb. 25 ride.

Feb. 23--First commute to work on road bike after replacing front tyre.

Feb. 27--Bike parked at MMU Grotto. Windy afternoon, next day was the one day this week I didn't ride--below-zero wind chills in the morning.

I suppose, technically, that I own four bicycles—but one is an old tandem, used primarily for short summer rides with either my wife or a grandchild.

Grandchildren and spouses, in my corner of the world, don’t do a lot of bicycling in the chilly early spring, which is what February has turned out to be in Iowa. In a normal year, it would still be winter and I would be weeks away from writing about spring. This is not a normal year.

And that’s added up to some extra biking miles for me.

My first ride of the year of more than 30 miles was Sunday, Feb. 25. I went some distance south on the Cedar River Trail for the first time this year, rolling to Ely and then back. It was oddly warm for a February Sunday, and when I rested in a park at Ely, small spiders were skittering across the pavement. Bugs in February. It’s not Heaven, it’s Iowa, but it’s hot like Hades, at least “hot” for this time of year.

Feb. 25--Resting at mid-point of long ride in Ely. I will have to dig up sunscreen, got a mild sunburn on this ride.

Feb. 25--Sunny view of Cedar River on trail headed south, south of river. Mount Trashmore in background.

Feb. 25--Large bird of prey. I think it's a young bald eagle that hasn't grown into its adult colors yet. Although it could be a hawk. What say you, internet hive mind?

Feb. 25--Geese in Ely city park.

I didn’t have time to continue riding south to Solon for a much longer 50-mile or so ride, and I wasn’t dressed for it anyway (I need bike shorts for longer rides).

It was a pleasant ride. I took two brief rests, one in Ely and one on a bench in the woods on the way back. It was a bit breezy, but still a good day to be out. The ride totaled 32.88 miles.

It was on the road bike, which I have finally repaired. I took it to Goldfinch, because I’m too old to easily read tiny black numbers on black rubber, and no, I don’t have my bike tyre size memorized. They concurred that I needed a new front tyre, but advised the that worn back tyre is still good for a few months, although it will need to be replaced before longer summer rides.

Changing the tyre is never my favorite thing, but honestly it worked out to be easier than changing the tube on my mountain bike, which I had done a few weeks ago.

Feb. 21--Bikes in rack near Regina Hall, MMU. None mine. Seeing lots more bikes in February than is normal.

Feb. 23--My bike parked at Warde Hall, early ride after fixing road bike. Hawk feather has blown against rear wheel--there are a pair of red-tailed Hawks that nest on Warde Hall, I assume this is their greeting card.

So, recent rides have seen me taking advantage of the full trio—the long weekend ride and some commutes on Argent, my road bike. When I’m in the mood or worried about poor weather, rolling on The Fancy Beast, my mountain bike. And several routine commutes using the all-purpose pickup truck bike, my hybrid, Clarence.

I rode 224.29 miles in February and 6.94 miles on March 1, giving me 362.62 miles for the year so far—more than 10 percent of my goal in the early winter months of the year. I hope that foreshadows a good riding year. I’m not sure the year includes RAGBRAI—they have a hilly, southern route this year, which doesn’t, frankly, appeal to me much, and last year’s crowded, hot ride kind of spooked me a bit.

I may be ready for fake RAGBRAI this year, where I just try to top 300 miles during the week of the ride. We’ll see. And that way, I can ride my variety of bikes as the mood strikes me—maybe even the tandem (which has no name right now).

Feb. 25--I wondered if first flowers had bloomed, so rode to campus on my way home from Ely. Yup, early spring is official. Building in background, Warde Hall, is oldest on campus and where my office is.

In Which We Top 75 Miles

The morning sun shines over Argent, locked to the bike rack at Brewhemia.

Well, that was a nice ride.

My first significant bicycle ride in the U.S. after my UK adventures was very pleasant. The weather was perfect—sunny skies, high in the 80s, not too humid.

The ride was Sunday. On Saturday, My wife, daughter, grandson and I went to the CR Pride Fest, and walked to lunch at Lucky’s in Czech Village.

We had briefly seen my sister Cate at the event, and as we were walking back to the car from Czech Village, she met us again. She was cycling south on the Cedar River Trail.

“I’m thinking about a long ride tomorrow. You want to join me?” she asked.

We didn’t have plans, so I said “yes,” so on Sunday, I got my bicycle out and rode to Brewhemia, a coffee shop in the New Bo neighborhood. We set 8 a.m. as a meet time there, and I arrived just a few minutes before my sister.

I had not done breakfast at that coffee shop before, and it was nice. I had the Aesop Bowl, which is scrambled eggs mixed with feta cheese, hummus and some sprouts. And, of course, I drank coffee.

We didn’t really have a specific route in mind for the ride, it was just that we wanted to ride enough to accumulate miles, so we headed to the south end of the trail, which is beyond Ely, just short of Solon.

On the Hoover Trail south of Ely. Sunshine--the kind of open, mostly blue sky seen in Iowa in the summer. Unless the sky is all dark with storm clouds.

We turned around and took a break at the city park in Ely. There were some geese at the pond there, and we heard an odd, low rumbling sound. At first, we thought it might be the geese, but I noticed none seemed to be vocalizing during the sound, and, in fact, a group of them turned towards the sound. Geese don’t have expressive faces, but to me they seemed to be thinking, like Cate and I: “What was that?”

I didn’t see it, but I think it was a frog, croaking its heart out very loudly.

Heading back towards Ely, bikers passing by Cate on trike.

When we got back to town, we took the stub of a trail to the future site of the Sleeping Giant bridge, and then went up the street to got to Otis Road and head for the Prairie Park Fishery. Cate noted that she doesn’t often do that because she avoids street riding as much as possible on her trike. It’s mostly a matter of her being seen—she says bikers and drivers don’t seem to look down much and often overlook her even with the tall flag on the trike. But on Sunday, I rode behind her, and I think I’m pretty easy for drivers to notice.

Riding along Otis Road, being passed by a car.

After that side trip, we returned to the Cedar River Trail and continued north. The city paving project at the bathrooms along Cedar Lake has been completed, and it was nice to be able to water up in mid Cedar Rapids again.

Cate said I could pick the lunch spot, and I decided I was hungry when we got past the railroad overpass, so we stopped at a spaghetti eatery and carbed up. We both ordered dinner, and I think we both felt a bit over stuffed. The ride after that was a bit hazy for me—I had not slept all that well the night before and am still adjusting to Iowa time.

When we got to Center Point, Cate went into the little museum there, while I dozed on a picnic table for 15 minutes or so. I think that accounts for her nickname for me on the ride. She posted this note on Facebook: “I asked Joe if he wanted to go for a long ride today. He said sure. One of my devices says we rode 75 miles, the other says 79.5. I'd say we had a good long ride. Thanks, jet lag Joe!”

Map My Ride map.

My mileage would vary from hers a little, since I started and ended at my house, not hers, and rode streets down to the breakfast meet rather than taking the trail. Map My Ride recorded 79.24 miles for me.

The total miles aren’t even what impressed me most. There was 2,185 feet of climb, which was way more than I would have estimated—rail grades on the trail are deceptive, I guess. Mostly what surprised me was our speed. We averaged 11.4 mph and had one mile where we averaged 15.6 mph. Those are probably not very impressive numbers to fast bikers, but I’m a slow, old biker. It was much faster than the rides I took in the UK, although the main difference was the bicycle. My road bike is clearly meant for a faster pace, and that I’m sure wearing the bike shoes have power throughout the whole leg movement helps, too.

Even if the ride include any Iowa river valley for a hill climb, it was a good RAGBRAI training ride. It seems proof of concept that we can both handle the distance for a RAGBRAI day. Of course, RAGBRAI is a week.

I did have a bit of trike envy on the ride—I’m sure my sister finished the ride without the pains in the back or bottom that I suffered. An almost 80-mile ride translates into a long time to sit on a bicycle seat.

Still, I’m quite pleased. RAGBRAI, we’ll see what the weather brings, but I’m feeling ready for you.

In Which the Week Features Family Fun Rides

Me with grandson, ready for bike ride. Note he is not rudely gesturing, not only is it not that finger, he's pushing up his sunglasses.

What a week! Today was cool and partly cloudy, a rare day in summer in Iowa, a bit windy, but not too windy for some two-wheeled miles.

It was almost an ideal day for biking. In the morning, my wife, daughter and I rode to the Hiawatha Farmers Market. My toddler grandson rode on the Wee Ride seat on my bike. We shopped at the market, buying some cookies from the Sisters of Mercy and enjoying them at the park. I also found some peony roots for sale for $4, which is a pretty darn good price for a peony. The man said they are pink, and I’m hoping he’s right and that they bloom next spring.

After the morning ride, I met my sister for a long afternoon ride. We rode down to New Bo, where we had lunch at the NewBo City Market. It was Korean dumplings, and I could have skipped the soybeans in pods, but otherwise it was very nice.

Lunch in NewBo Market. If we take Jon and Nalena to lunch after RAGBRAI, this may be the place.

Even chickens have restrooms at NewBo.

My younger (not youngest) sister at NewBo, my biking compatriot on today's long ride.

NewBo Market, but it made me think of Jenny Lawson book.

After lunch, we did a loop around the Prairie Park Fishery and then headed down to Ely via the Cedar River and Hoover trails. Along the way, I noted that I hope to do at least one century ride (100 miles) in July before RAGBRAI. We plotted some possible routes, including a road trip to the Raccoon River Trail near Des Moines. We’ll see.

Circling Prairie Park Fishery on today's long ride.

Returning from Ely--have reached Cedar Rapids and Cedar River Trail. The kind of day it was.

Saw this large but young bird beside trail.

Nearing end of ride--view of Cedar Lake. What CR Biker post is complete without at least one image of Cedar Lake?

It was the end of a week of fantastic family bike rides. I made multiple rides with my youngest grandson in the Wee Ride seat—it’s a regular Wednesday thing with us to ride a trail for a while and then stop at a playground.

In addition, there was a “boys morning out” ride with that grandson and my oldest grandson—the older one on the Tag-A-Long while the 18-month-old rode in the seat. It’s nice to ride “the bus” with a couple of cute grandchildren—makes me more popular on the bike trails.

Besides the rides with the grandchildren, there was much other family fun this week. We took the kayaks out one day, and a daughter and her two sons rode down to Cedar Lake with me.

And on Father’s Day, three of my children, a son-in-law and my biking buddy sister all rode with me. That ride involved stops at both Lion Bridge Brewery and the Sag Wagon. It was pretty fantastic.

Ready to leave home on Father's Day adventure--two daughters, a son and son-in-law in photo. We rode over to my sister's house and the merry band was on it's way.

Two views of duck pond at Rockwell-Collins on C Avenue. Grandson loves to walk or ride there to check on duck family.

 

But, as they say on TV, wait, there’s more. That evening, a daughter, who has not been on a bike in more than a decade, decided to take the plunge and try an evening peddle with her mom, son and me (the son is the 18-month-old who rides on the Wee Ride). The ride went well, and we’ve been on a few more since, including the journey to the Hiawatha Farmers Market. Welcome to the world of biking, youngest daughter (and thank you, penultimate daughter for allowing your sister to borrow your bicycle).

June 25 rides, mapped. Fast and slow.

This week also marked my initiation in to the world of Map my Ride. I have a new cell phone with a plan that allows unlimited data usage, so it’s practical for me to download and use this ap. So far, my rides have fit into two categories—short, slow rides (usually means I am with a grandchild or two on the bus, Clarence), for longer, somewhat faster rides (Argent, the road bike, no passengers).

I wish I were getting more miles in—day times seem packed this summer. But I am getting rides in, and immensely enjoying the rides I am taking. It was a wonderful week for CR Biker—I hope your biking week was at least half as fantastic as mine was!

In Which I Work To Earn Sore Legs

This morning, on top of Brentwood Drive hill. I climbed the hill from east and west. I've looked at hills from both sides now.

On the MMU Bike Club shirt, there is a quote: “I can’t feel my legs when I’m with you, but I love it.”

That sums up today’s ride. I was to go to campus and do some scheduling work on the Fall Faculty Series, but was waylaid by sunshine. I rode the trail route, and Argent just did not turn towards campus. I started out about 10:30 a.m. and two hours later found myself, a bit bleary and sore, resting at a picnic table in Ely.

Pond in Ely City Park. View about 12:20 p.m.

What is it? Yeah, if you look at picture above you can probably figure it out. The table I'm sitting at in Ely.

All in all, I rode about 44 miles today in three rides. I did about 5 this morning going to and from the gym (several hill climbs of Brentwood Drive in there, the gym is about a mile from my house, to get 5-miles on that 2-mile round trip does require a somewhat less than the crow flies kind of route). I did three hill climbs this morning, which was pretty good.

The ride to Ely and then to campus must have been in the low 30s. I recall that I had ridden 20 miles to get to Ely, so that seems about right. Although I rested for 10 minutes in Ely, I think that’s just a mid-ride intermission, so the ride to MMU from there was just a short second act.

Ride number three was to come home. I did stop in my office, managed to wolf down lunch quickly while dealing with some emails, and then I took a 30-minute nap. At this early point in my RAGBRAI training, a warm 30-mile ride will wear me out.

I haven’t been getting as much time on bike as I would like, but today does count as a significant ride. It also shows that I do need to train pretty hard—RAGBRAI will be 60-mile hilly rides on days in a row, and right now one 40-something ride left me pretty worn.

Although, to my credit, I did ride the Brentwood Hill one last time on the way home. I figure that, just like happens so often on RAGBRAI, finishing a long ride with a hill climb is good practice.

May 29 view of Cedar River from trail in late afternoon. My daughter and I were riding.

Anyway, the preceding paragraph would have been the end, but wait, there is more. Last Sunday, one of my daughters and I took a late afternoon ride of some 20 miles or so, down to the first bridge past Mt. Trashmore on the Cedar River Trail and back. On the way, we stopped at Greene Square, and then looked at the Grant Wood statue at the library. I also photographed another statue near a brewery downtown.

May 29--my daughter and I with father-daughter art at CR Library. Brewery pair from same day below.

It occurs to me that my daughter, sister and I should do a Tour de Grant ride. If it's a weekend, my wife might be persuaded to come, too, and we could try the new ice cream shop in New Bo. What do you guys think?

Sun nears horizon near the end of our Sunday ride. Beautiful, warm sunny days in Iowa!