In Which I See Some Bridges of Linn County

The Fancy Beast at the first bridge I find, south end of Cedar Lake. I looped eastward around the lake.

Second bridge--causeway between two halves of lake.

Other side of the same bridge, looking south at rail bridge over the same waterway.

Well, this is clearly an incomplete post—I didn’t cross the Cedar River so I clearly omitted the largest and most impressive bridges in Cedar Rapids. Nor did I ride out to Sutliff Bridge, which I hear is cool, but it’s technically in Johnson County and I don’t know how to get to it on a bicycle. Also, although I shot images of bridges, I did not have any affairs with comely, lonely Italian Iowa farm wives (kudos and my condolences if you understand that reference).

So, although in honor of Social Distance Bike Club’s bridge weekend I shot copious bridge images, they were the rather modest bridges located between New Bo, where a bike shop is, and Lafayette, where there is a bench for resting before turning towards home.

The Fancy Beast at north bridge, where creek runs into Cedar Lake. Or does lake empty into creek? I'm not sure.

View of Cedar Lake from north bridge.

Selfie of CR Biker with The Fancy Beast on Cedar Lake bridge.

I got a phone call form Goldfinch Cyclery today—The Fancy Beast, my oldest bicycle, a more than decades old Raleigh mountain bike that first belonged to my oldest son, was ridden for a time by a son-in-law and that now is in the CR Biker stable of bicycles, was repaired and awaiting pickup.

We were on a car drive to complete an adoption at the time the call came in. We were picking up a monarch caterpillar we are responsible for raising to butterfly stage from the Indian Creek Nature Center. It’s our fourth cat in four years—of the three previous, one died and two became butterflies. I am hoping that adopted child insect number four, named Bob for no particular good reason (with a caterpillar, there are no outward gender signs) will make it.

Well, that seems a bit off topic. A post too far, as it were. Unlike a bridge too far, which clearly was not a feature of today’s ride.

Anyway, the bike shop, as all seem to be these days, was buzzing, but the wait to get The Fancy Beast was not long. I donned my helmet, walked to the side street (sidewalks in New Bo are no bike zones) and launched into a ride up the Cedar River Trail.

It was my first in a few days. A minor medical problem—a not serious infection that nonetheless requires antibiotics and that prevented biking for a few days—kept me out of the saddle, but I thought I was well enough again today for a not-too-long ride.

Today was a glorious biking day. It seems like every other day, in this part of Iowa, is the day after The Big Storm, and Saturday featured a doozy that included a tornado warning, although, as far as I know, no actual twister.

Bike parked on bridge where trail crosses itself and creek. It loops before crossing bridge. Lots of traffic on trails today.

Today, the day after, it was sunny, in the 80s, warm but not too hot. The drugs I’m on increase sensitivity to sunlight and also can cause dehydration, so I made sure to slather on the sunscreen, and stop often for a sip. I was wearing a mask—I correctly guessed on a gorgeous summer Sunday, the main bike trail in my area would be popular. But the whole bridge theme helped. Heading north from New Bo, there are actually a fair number of bridges on the trail, and if you stop to make images, it’s a good chance to lift the face cloth and pour some H2O down the pie hole.

The Fancy Beast is not my favorite bicycle for the kind of day this was. This bicycle is best for some unpaved trails and for winter riding. But it was still pleasant to be on the bicycle again, and it behaved well. Many of my mile splits were over 10 mph, one over 13—not lightning speed by any measure, but I’m an old and slow bike rider, and this is easily my slowest bike. I was happy with the pace.

More traffic passes as I make image of bike at waterway bridge. I think of this as the entrance to my neighborhood--if I turn off the trail after this bridge and ride through Noelridge Park, I'm about 3 miles from home.

Paging Red Hot Chilipeppers, we're under the bridge. Cheating a bit on theme, I know. But it's a bridge and I made this image while riding the bike.

I stopped to drink and make this image, not sure why I excluded bike. Rail bridge right before trail crosses from Cedar Rapids to Hiawatha.

My goal was Lafayette. It was mid-afternoon when I got the bike, and grandchildren were coming over this evening, so I didn’t have time (or the right bicycle or the wholly healed body) for a long ride. I rode to that little village some 7 miles north of the Hiawatha trailhead, and sat and ate a bag of nuts before heading south.

As I sat eating, I think there may have been a Mike Miller sighting. He's a friend from the neighborhood that I sometimes ride with--the neighbor on my recent ride to Solon. I am not sure, but there was a Not-Joe on a bicycle flying the orange pennant of Miller Nation who rode by. (Any grey-bearded bike rider who is not me is, in the language of my family RAGBRAI biking team, a “Not-Joe,” probably even if they are named Joe. Mike fits that description, although his fitness level and speed mean that nobody would mistake him for CR Biker.)

Well, as you can see, the bridges of Linn County were, even if they aren’t all that spectacular, pleasant to see on a warm summer afternoon. One of these days I’ll use The Fancy Beast to explore the Grant Wood Trail beyond the limestone on the grass section—this is the bicycle for it. And I am glad to have it back and to again be (not counting the tandem) a 3-bike biker.

North of Hiawatha, trail switches from Cedar River Trial to Cedar Valley Nature Trail. In Robins, a small side trail leads over this bridge to a park loop, which I rode today before continuing north.

Bike at Robins bridge.

Robins bridge.

As you near Lafayette, you encounter several bridges in quick sequence. You know you're close at this bridge.

The final trail bridge on the ride north. About a mile in the distance, you can see the overpass that is the entrance to Lafayette.

Lafayette, I am here.

The Fancy Beast parked at small county rest stop in Lafayette.

Biking essentials, 2020. Water and hand sanitizer.

Stopped at Hiawatha parking lot for quick final drink before heading home. This picture is sort of a visual joke--the "bridge" leads over a ditch to go from parking lot to trail.