In Which I Pay Two Lakes a Fall Visit

Sept. 24--Cedar Lake reflects cloudy, cool September sky.

September has been a mixed month for riding a bike or trike in Iowa. The month started very summer hot, but several weeks in the switch was thrown. It’s still not all that cool for fall, which officially began last Monday, but it’s no longer summer hot.

And it’s been very wet. It seems like rain has been an almost nightly visitor to this corner of the planet. In fact, early this week we got 4.5 inches of rain in 24 hours—rain that fell on saturated ground which could not absorb it, so suddenly Dry Creek, a small waterway behind my property, became briefly a raging river. The bike trail I ride on most often—the Boyson Trail—runs along Indian Creek and Dry Creek, and was flooded Monday. It has been closed for most of the week, and the paved sections of the trail opened for the first time today (I’m writing this Sept. 25, 2026).

Sept. 20--Looking down from Lindale Trail bridge at flooded Boyson Trail.

My riding has thus been a bit disjointed this month. In August, it was summer business and travel that limited my rides. The limit in September was usually simpler—rain.

With the fall equinox having been Monday of this week, the nature of my rides is shifting. I’m wearing long pants and socks a lot more, these days. I charged up the main rear light on my trike, the battery of which had lost power due to more use as dense clouds and earlier twilights cause more need for running with lights during rides. More of my recent rides have ended in twilight as the fall sun falls below the horizon earlier.

Sept. 15--New season, new look. Long pants, leg bands, socks. September trike rides.

There have also been some other common experiences during my September rides. Monarchs are migrating this month from the center of North America, headed for their winter refuges in Mexico. It’s been fun to see them—Noelridge Park and Cedar Lake, in particular, have been good places to catch sight of these stately insects during my rides.

And the mating season for White Tail Deer is approaching—I don’t if that’s why they’ve been a little weird lately. Not weird in a scary way, just more visible and distracted and not that concerned with hairless apes passing them by. Somehow, urban deer seem to know that it’s not hunting season now—and even if it were, nobody is gunning for them in the middle of a city bike trail.

Sept. 9--Deer on Lindale Trail.

Sept. 22--Bucks moving through Oak Shade Cemetery.

Anyway, this month has featured more walking for me, too—a hobby driven by health advice from my cardiologist as well as my competitive instincts. My brother-in-law Eldon from Des Moines suggested that he, my youngest sister who is also his spouse, my wife and I report our steps and distance walked via Facebook Messenger each day. The steps challenge has been a good motivator for me.

Nobody in our group can touch Audrey, my wife, who is an avid walker—but I’ve been walking more than a mile pretty much every day, even if some days that walking is indoors due to the unexpected monsoon season we’ve had.

Sept. 18--I have parked my trike and walked around Cedar Lake. Nearing the trike after my slow circuit.

Sept. 18--Walking around Cedar Lake after riding trike there. I like how the lake sparkles in the background.

Anyway, dear reader, you may be tapping your foot and wondering. Isn’t this a biking blog? Why do I care about the step challenge? Well, it’s had an impact on my bike and trike journeys. Now, I will often choose a location for a ride based on the existence of a place to ramble on foot for a time. I’ve walked around Cedar Lake after riding there, for instance.

And just yesterday, to have a new place to walk, I decided the day’s trike ride would take me to the Prairie Park Fishery. It’s a pleasant city park next to the Cedar River—it’s an old quarry site, which features a pretty, small lake and a walking trail that surrounds it. The lake, the old quarry pit, is also just a few yards from the river on its south side, so the trail goes pleasantly between the two bodies of water.

Sept. 24--Monarch fueling up for flight to Mexico, seen during walk around the lake at the Prairie Park Fishery.

I first rode down to Cedar Lake and circled it, pausing to make some images there. I went for a short walk on the fishing levee, but mostly this circuit of Cedar Lake was via trike. Then, I continued on the Cedar River Trail through downtown Cedar Rapids. My plan was to ride to near the Lion Bridge, where, instead of crossing the river, I would veer north through the New Bo neighborhood to reach Otis Road, which would take me to the fishery.

It didn’t work out that way. There is a lot of street construction in downtown Cedar Rapids, and the normal route that goes beside the Federal Courthouse was not available.

I don’t like to do much street riding on my trike—if a ride involves streets, I’ll usually choose a bicycle. Still, I was familiar with an alternate street route that would lead to Otis Road, and the streets weren’t busy, so I decided to go ahead and take that route.

When I reached Otis Road, I felt it was very lucky that I could even get to the Prairie Park Fishery. Otis Road runs directly adjacent to the Cedar River, and if the river overspills its banks, that street is one of the first to be closed by the high water. Well, what with the local creek flooding this week, the river was running high, although, happily, not quite high enough to cover the road.

Sept. 24--Riding to Prairie Park Fishery along Otis Road. Note how Cedar River is close to level of road.

The cloudy, cool day warmed just a bit as I neared the fishery. I circled the lake there on my trike, then parked, locked the trike, ate a small snack, and went for the hike. The sun had been flashing through the clouds, but the sky again closed in and it cooled as I ambled—I didn’t mind, it was nice to have it pleasantly chilly for the walk. “Chilly” might even be over stating it, a bit. It was in the 60s and humid.

Anyway, I spotted a Monarch and made some images of it and some other things as I walked. For photo purposes, a bit of a walk is a nice change from riding a trike or bike. It’s much easier to use a camera when on foot.

I’m getting up there in age, and trotting for almost two miles on top of what was already a 12-mile trike ride did concern me a little. What would my knees make of this adventure? Well, they were fine while I was moving, although when I stopped at the end of the hike to change from walking shoes to triking sandals, they lodged their painful complaints. Still, the ride back home was OK—I knew I didn’t have any strenuous hills on my planned route, and I just took the pace nice and easy. Again, when I got into motion, my knees complained less, which was nice of them.

Well, while September has been a bit mixed. Yet, when I have been able to ride, the rides have been extremely nice. Fall in Iowa is not usually this damp, and it is normally one of the best seasons to roll across this tiny patch of the planet. As of Sept. 25, I’ve rolled 2,298.33 miles in 2026, which 163.23 of those miles being in the ninth month of the year. The longest September ride was the sojourn to reach the Prairie Park Fishery, clocking in at 23.84 miles. No 40-mile rides yet this month, but if we get a fully dry day, maybe there will be such a ride through the pleasant fall air.

In Which Summer Continues in October

Sept. 21--Riding on the trail east to Marion means watching for the large walnuts that get dropped this time of year.

The lastest month of biking in Iowa? Beautiful—and also dry. Honestly, I would not mind missing a few rides due to rain, if you ask, Mother Nature.

Still, today I want on a 19.7-mile ride along the Grant Wood Trail—I chose that route because I didn’t get out the door until mid-afternoon and didn’t have time for a super long ride. The Gazette reported this morning on the ribbon cutting for the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, now paved for all 50 miles north to Waterloo, and I would like to ride that soon—but not today.

And today, another reason to take it easy in the afternoon was heat. It flirted with 90 degrees today, very hot for this time of year. Luckily, it was also breezy and dry, so it was not a terrible humid heat.

Oct. 5--About 10 miles from home, east on Grant Wood Trail, pausing before heading back home. Fall look to the woods by the trail.

Oct. 5--Trail and corn, as I again pause on the way back home. On the paved trail now, beside a corn field (above and below).

I didn’t really plan it that way because, to be honest, I didn’t pay attention to the forecast, but there was a gusty south wind today, so my choice to go down the Grant Woods trail, a mostly east-west ride, was a good one.

In late September, the drought and shortening daylight caused the plants to react as they should. It hasn’t really felt like fall yet, no hint of frost, but there has very much been a fall look to the rides with nuts dropping from the browning trees. We are getting to that dry time of fall when the first hard freeze will be welcome to get rid of tiny biting insects that suddenly abound in the dry grass, but I guess the dry weather means there aren’t as many biters around as usual.

Well, the riding has been good. Fall break is next week, and dry, sunny weather continues, so maybe I’ll get in a longer ride north to check out some of new paving. We’ll see. In the meantime, I am enjoying fall rides. As of Oct. 5, 51.05 miles for this month, 2,449.7 miles for the year so far. In September, my miles totaled 246.32.

More September bike ride views:

Sept. 21--Mountain bike on mountain bike trail by Boyson Trail, fall look in the land.

Sept. 15--Pretty fall sunset.

Sept. 13--Lucky Friday at the bike rack. Some other MMU employees decided this was the one day they would ride bikes to work--fuller bike rack than usual.

Sept. 21--Trail in Marion on day before Equinox--fall is arriving.

Sept. 24--C Avenue Pond on pretty fall morning.

Sept. 27--Despite warm weather down here--it must be very cold up there where the thin clouds are--Sun Dog, usually only seen on very cold day in winter, appears.

Sept. 24--Another look at the C Avenue Pond.

In Which I Enjoy Early Fall Light

Aug. 21 (this and next three images). I bike ride down the Lindale and Grant Wood Trails on the final Sunday before school begins. Late day ride, pretty evening. Pond at Waldo's Rock.

A running cloud puppy.

Golden late sunshine on the pond at Waldo's Rock Park.

Golden hazy light as sun nears horizon, seen at the new bridge into Marion.

Evenings are coming a bit earlier these days—not super early, but the change in light is becoming obvious, and I’m using lights on my bikes a bit more. I’m also enjoying the pretty light of the low late sun.

This week, my wife got me a new bike bells and a set of fairy lights for a bike for my birthday. And I got myself some new tires and a portable pump. That doesn’t sum up my birthday entirely, but it was a good biker birthday on Tuesday.

And a bachelor one, too. My wife, who is retired, was visiting a grandson and his family in San Francisco on Aug. 30, the day I turned 64. (She left the gifts at a daughter’s house, where I went to celebrate.)

And no, since my birthday was a school day, I didn’t ride 64 miles. I’m not sure if I will do that this weekend, or not. Maybe I can count all the miles ridden this weekend towards that goal?

Anyway, the Iowa weather has turned dry. Grass is crunchy, trees look a bit sad and high summer, a time when the greens are a bit less vibrant and you can see signs of approaching fall in reddening Sumac and enlarging orb webs, is upon us.

It’s generally good biking weather, although, unlike my wife, I am not retired, so my time on two wheels has been a bit constrained by the reality of work. Still, I finished August with 335.33 miles, have ridden 20.05 in the first two days of September, and have 1,937.62 for the year.

In this week’s biking development in my corner of the world: There is a trail I often ride, the Lindale Trail, that heads from Cedar Rapids into Marion to link with the Grant Wood Trail. I posted pictures on this blog of the two new bridges they’ve constructed to joint the cities, but one stretch of that route has been a limestone stretch, less then a mile, but mushy when wet.

Given the plans to enlarge Marion’s trails and link them to Cedar Rapids, I always thought it was a bit odd that this one bit of limestone was left. I figured sooner or later, they would put up “trail closed” signs and, something like six months later, the trail would open.

I was wrong. Not about them paving it, but about the time frame. They coated that section with blacktop in two days. Whew.

Roundabouts are featured on the transit of Marion, and they are a bit dicey. You approach them with traffic headed your way behind your back, at an odd angle. I have to train myself to come to a full stop before crossing traffic, and it feels way more awkward that going through an intersection. Honestly, I'm not one of those drivers who hates roundabouts--I don't love them either, just am neutral on the whole "are roundabouts Satan's traffic control?" question. Just getting acclimated to them on my bike, and hoping no injuries are sustained as I get used to them. 

Anyway, the new trail blacktop and getting used the roundabouts were features of a Sunday ride Aug. 28.

Aug. 28--Another Sunday, another view of pond at Waldo's Rock--a bit early this time, and shot with my cell phone since I didn't carry a camera on this ride.

Riders about to cross onto new asphalt on newly paved stretch of Lindale Trail.

A small part of the new route through Marion is on a bike lane--with roundabouts at each end.

Crossing the street here at the roundabout involves an awkward left turn. Takes some getting used to.

Trail east of Waldo's Rock has its first layer of asphalt.

As of a week ago, on Aug. 28, this stretch of trail was still closed. The asphalt that is there does look like the first of several layers, there is a clear drop where it meets the rest of the trail. But pavement is coming!

The new side trail that leads north from the Boyson Trail past Lininger Park has been closed for a week—why, I don’t know. But I’ve observed asphalt being applied on the Grant Wood Trail east of Waldo’s Rock park. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll bike out there and see how the project is going. And maybe I’ll turn around and ride 50 more miles.

After all, I recently turned 64.

Getting ready to bike home on my final day of being 63, Aug. 29. I am being watched.

Aug. 31--And now I have been 64 for the second day. New pavement on Lindale Trail looking more at home.

Aug. 31--This new trail has not been open very long. Closed? Why?

Sept. 1--A young September deer on Lindale Trail.

Sept. 1--Mom, peeking from the woods, eyes photographer.

Earlier in my Sept. 1 ride--fawn leaping into woods off of Marion Trail, the little side trail west of the Boyson Trail. Don't know if the trail has a name.

In Which a Door Closes on Ride’s Eve

Garage door, closed for now.

For a while, getting to my bicycles will be a challenge. A monarch caterpillar crawled up onto my garage door and built it’s little “I’m going to be a butterfly” house there, which my wife found on Thursday.

So on Friday, I had to wheel my hybrid bike through the basement and muscle it up the stairs. It was not fun. Then, I had to squeeze it into the van and drive to a shop where we were leaving off a car.

Morning light on Cedar Trail,

 And from there, I rode to campus. Actually, despite being Friday the 13th, it was gorgeous. A cool day after some hot, humid ones. I had to get to campus as quickly as possible, but on the ride home, I took more time to enjoy biking on a nice fall afternoon, riding down to Cedar Lake.

On a cool September day, with some clouds and some sunshine, and breeze, riding is nice.

And I am happy that one of the caterpillars from my garden built a chrysalis. Although, I also would have picked a different spot, where it up to me.

Cedar Lake in the afternoon.

In Which I Tour a Lake Thrice in Two Days

Late afternoon sun at Cedar Lake, Sept. 3, 2019, around 5:30 p.m.

Cedar Lake—it’s not the prettiest body of water. It’s stuck next to rail tracks near a giant grain mill in a downscale part of town.

But it has its charms. If you want to view a sunset in Cedar Rapids, it’s one of your go-to places. It’s a good place to watch birds—geese and ducks. One cold icy spring day, I even encountered an eagle there.

I like Cedar Lake, and look forward to the not too distant future when it’s part of the big “Connect CR” project.

And I had the opportunity to enjoy Cedar Lake three times in the past two days. On Labor Day, I rode in the Linn County Mayors’ Bike Ride, sponsored by the Linn County Trails Association (a group that my wife recently renewed my membership in as a birthday present).

Monday was warm and muggy, but thankfully cloudy, too, which kept it from getting hot. The air was still, and a breeze would have been nice, but it was a still a pleasant enough day for an easy ride, which the Mayors’ Bike Ride, at 8 miles, is. My sister and I rode by the lake on the way to the ride, and circled more of it later in the morning as part of the ride.

My sister's trike gets inspected before the Mayors' Ride at Ellis Park.

During the Mayors' Bike Ride, trail by Cedar Lake.

I mildly regret not making more images at the lake Monday—the still air made it unusually calm, and Cedar Lake looked like a giant mirror, which is not its usual appearance.

Well, Monday was a nice ride. The crowd was maybe a bit smaller than in the past. I did run into Laura and Mike, biking pals from my neighborhood, but didn’t see other MMU Mustangs at the ride. At least I wore my colors. Some more images of the ride and after the ride:

Heading home after Mayors' Bike Ride--liking the new bike infrastructure by the courthouse. Barriers between cars and bikes, and new drains that are bike friendly And a kybo just to make us think of RAGBRAI.

Near end of ride, passing by Cedar River.

Photo with my sister at the end of the ride.

Biking along Third Avenue during Mayors' Ride.

Today was another warm, muggy day. The weather is expected to cool after today, which will be nice. Even today, however, was merely warm and a bit sticky—not really summer hot. So even if it was a little uncomfortable, I still enjoyed the ride down by the lake.

And—drum roll, please—CRANES! Three huge white birds were hanging out near the north end of the lake, fishing and fussing at each other and posing for photos.

Well, I hope you get a chance to check out the lake and see some birds there. It’s not Iowa’s premiere body of water, but it does have its charms, and I am often thankful that this urban pond does have a very useful bicycle trail around it.

Cranes on Cedar Lake, Sept. 3, 2019.

In Which We Ride Dowtown

Group image before the ride.

When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go … downtown. So I am starting with an homage to Petula Clark. If you’re old like me, you’re welcome for the earworm.

On Friday, Bike Club went for a ride, the first regular ride of the fall semester. There were five students on the ride, and although they all resisted my excellent advice that helmets are a good idea, it was a warm, pleasant afternoon for a quick, refreshing ride.

I suggested heading down to Greene Square in downtown Cedar Rapids for our ride, and the students like the idea. However, a passing gentleman who was looking for the music department snapped our pre-ride group picture and suggested the CEMAR trail.

Hmmm. But that newish trail doesn’t really go anywhere besides the Plaster Complex, so we stuck with our original Greene Square plan.

I was riding my hybrid bike, and was in the lead. We headed down the Hill.

I have a several advantages on downhills—my bicycle rolls with less resistance than the heavier bikes MMU owns, so the lightness of my bike is one advantage. Then there is the overall weight of the rider. Gravitational acceleration is a constant no matter the weight, but increased mass of a biker does help with more force that does more to overcome air resistance, or something like that. I don’t know, I’m a writer. But anyway, I have often observed, with many, many field trials that fat old men can zoom down a hill more efficiently than most other bikers.

And I presume the advantage comes more from “fat” than from “old,” although maybe old men can afford better bicycles, but that’s an untested assumption.

Anyway, I ended up well ahead of the students and found myself waiting now and then. Perhaps my helmet just made me more aerodynamic, too.

Riding along Cedar Lake. I got ahead and stop to make image of club riders as they approach. And no, the student on the left did not ride on the grass, I think she is coming over to check on me, as a young person who protects old people.

We rode along the west edge of Cedar Lake and then headed downtown. It was humid and warm, and I think I was the only rider with a water bottle, so when we got to Green Square, the agenda item was drinks at the water fountain by the trail. We then rode slowly through the park (I went through the splash pad, but I think most students went around. Well, they weren’t wearing helmets.)

Chatting after getting drinks and before heading back t campus.

On the way back to campus, two of the students were chatting. We had seen a woman who was not in our group take a minor tumble—nothing serious, and she had friends to aid her, although what went through my mind was “students, did you notice she has a helmet on?”

Anyway, one of the students was telling another something about what happens when she is with “old people.” I was right behind them, and did caution the student, jokingly, about what would be said next. It turns out the speaking student works with elderly people in a nursing home and feels obligated to protectively look after them.

Well, that seems nice. Says the old man.

Long shadows by Cedar Lake on our way back to campus.

Overall, it was a very agreeable ride. My Bike Club leader rejected the idea, for now, of riding up Mt. Trashmore, but we’ll see.

Finally, before the ride, we noted that a seat and seat post had been removed from one bicycle. Another bike is completely gone—bike seven may have been stolen, we presume. Blah. Earlier this semester, we lost a bike that had been left locked along the Cedar River Trail and was damaged beyond repair. Now, sadly, bad things are starting to happen to bikes right on campus.

That’s not an uplifting note to end on, I’m sure. But despite the unpleasant reminders of the darker side of human nature, the first club ride was very nice, and more MMU Bike Club rides are to come. Watch the MMU app for times, as the club will probably vary its rides so that students who were at athletic practices late on a Friday afternoon can participate.

And we may ride downtown again: