Feeling good riding the new trail behind Linn-Mar High School. |
I could not resist the cheap pun—dad jokes, right? When I posted an image of today’s bicycle ride, a selfie on Instagram, I captioned it: “New bike trail behind Linn-Mar High School is quite nice, I’m not lion.”
Because, of course, the school’s teams are the Linn-Mar Lions.
Anyway, earlier this year, a new trail leading from the Boyson Trail to Boyson Road in Marion opened. A new crosswalk was painted at Boyson and 10th Street, and a bit north of the intersection, there’s a new crossing light that takes the trail across 10th Street.
I had not ridden that new leg of the trail behind the high school before today. This afternoon, seeking a break from grading, I decided to go on a quick bike ride.
I got the mountain bike out. There are some short mountain bike trails off of the Boyson Trail, and I was just in the mood, since the ride would be short, to ride those trails. One is “easy” and the other “also easy but not quite as easy,” and I rode them both.
Bike parked in twilight at end of mountain bike trail near Boyson Road. |
Bike at end of mountain bike trail, pretty light. |
And then decided to explore the new trail behind the high school. It was getting to twilight, and I turned on my lights and headed north.
My chilled cheeks and cold toes weren’t that happy with my decision, but I carried on.
The crossing of Boyson feels a bit weird. It’s just a crosswalk at a busy interstation that, to me, has needed a traffic light for many years. Adding a bike trail to that already overloaded intersection feels a bit strange, but at 4 or so on a winter afternoon, traffic was light.
On 10th Street about to ride on new trail. The walkers are the nice people I chatted with. |
New bridge on new trail--nice view. |
Another view of the same bridge. |
I crossed 10th and came to the new trial. I paused and made a few images there. A nice couple was out for a stroll, and told me that they walk that trail daily.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. The trail went under 29th Street and beside the track where the Linn-Mar football stadium used to be. The trail crosses a creek several times, and winds its way through pretty woods. It’s not a long trail, but it’s nice, and it does go all the way to Tower Terrace Road.
It can give me a way to ride with a grandchild to the playground at Indian Creek School, and also can be part of a loop to the Lowe Park Trail via Tower Terrace Road.
Here and below, views seen from the trail behind Linn-Mar High School, Dec. 3, 2022. |
Well, that was nice. Cold, but nice. I got to chat with the my walking trail buddies several times—once, they passed me while I was on a photo pause, and the next time was when I had gone to the end of the trial and came back.
At one point, the new trail was dug up, but I was luckily on the mountain bike and could easily navigate the bare ground beside the hole in the trail.
It was getting dark by the time I got back to the Lindale Trail, but I went across the bridges and turned back when I got to the sidewalk at the end of that trail. By doing that, I was able to squeeze in 10.4 miles. Not bad for a late-day winter ride, and I’m sure I’ll be visiting the new trail again!
Map of Dec. 3, 2022 ride. |
No comments:
Post a Comment