New trail bridge over Big Creek east of Marion, Iowa.
Up ahead, the new bridge, with the county highway on the right.
For a bike trail bridge, it doesn't seem all that narrow, but thanks for the heads up.
I got a text this afternoon from a family member, who was out of town and whose trip home was being delayed. At their request, I went to their house and let out a dog for an afternoon break.
It was a pretty, sunny Saturday, but windy, too—I wasn’t sure it was ideal biking weather. I decided to use the mountain bike—I knew I was going to be heading east on the bike trail through Marion anyway, and there was always the potential to ride on the mountain bike trails by the Boyson Trail.
As I headed south to the trial, I was zooming along. It’s a climb up a modest hill from my house along C Avenue to the Lindale Trail, leading to the Grant Wood Trail, but I felt I was zooming along.
When I turned east to head to the relative’s house, I continued to bike at unexpected speed. I was going 11 to 12 mph, a fairly normal trail speed if I was riding my road bike, but greased lightening on my slower, heavier mountain bike. The Fancy Beast wanted to fly and did.
And I knew what that meant. I’m no babe in the woods at biking. If you head out and everything clicks and you’re suddenly powerful and fast—watch out. The hidden force is almost always wind, and if you head east on your ride, you may want to save your life you’re going down for the last time. (Sorry, old 1970s Head East party song makes inappropriate appearance). If you're zooming east on the way out, on the way back as you ride west you’ll be going into the teeth of the gale.
Ah well, enjoy the ride when you can. I overshot my route to the house I was aiming at, and had a foretaste of what I might face on my ride home when I had to do a little back tracking.
The dog got his relief and then I was again on my way.
The stiff blustery wind was mostly from the north, but also a bit northwest, so when I got to the trail and turned east, I was again riding at backwind speed.
It was late in the afternoon, and a bit cool with the wind, but I was enjoying myself and decided to head over towards Waldo’s Rock Park and continue east. They’ve put in a new extension of the Grant Wood Trail this year, and last time I rode out in that direction, it wasn’t open yet. Bike tracks in the dirt then showed that many biker’s don’t care but I didn’t ride on the new trail then.
Would it be open now? When I got there, there was a large “sidewalk closed” sign, but it was placed parallel to the trail, not blocking it. Moved by bikers or the county? I decided it could mean that the trail is open for use when there’s not work being done, but they have the sign handy to close it when there’s workers putting some finishing touches on it.
In the old days, you rode east to a county road, then headed over to a paved county highway and rode for a bit, down a hill, across a bridge, before getting to a trailhead where the unpaved part of the Grant Wood trail begins. With the new trail, you still ride a tiny bit of the gravel road, but it’s to a new, paved trail segment that parallels the highway.
So, I rode it. And it seemed done, to my uneducated eyes. It’s interesting that the new bridge that they installed is higher than the roadway, so you start the trail in what seems to be a ditch pathway beside the highway, but you don’t go as much down into the creek valley. While there’s still a bit of a dip and climb involved, the new bike trail is nice not just because you avoid the scary experience of riding on a busy road, but also because you’re on a more level route.
As far as I road. This woodsy trail will be easier to get to and enjoy next summer!
Bike parked at the far eastern end of my ride.
Above and below, my bike on Grant Wood Trail on windy, cool fall afternoon in Iowa.
Although it was windy, I was a bit surprised I didn’t see more bikers out. While not hot, it was long-sleeved shirt cool, not jacket or sweatshirt cool. Well, I suppose one reason I chose the Fancy Beast over Argent for this ride isn’t just the chance I might go on a mountain bike trail (which I did not), but the Fancy beast is lower and heavier and harder to blow over.
The paved new trail segues to a short section of limestone trail that, in a few hundred yards, converts to a grassy trail through some woods. I paused there. On the mountain bike, I could continue, but it was getting past 5 p.m. in late October, the light was fading, and I didn’t fancy a dark ride in the woods. So I paused, got off my bike and used my phone to make a selfie.
I had my good camera with me, but missed recording an amusing incident. There are lots of Walnut trees in the woods where I was, and as I stood there tapping on my phone, a chipmunk popped out of the trees to my right, grabbed a nut at the edge of the trail, gave me a stern glance and proceeded to march across the trail directly in front of me. It didn’t run, I would have had time to kick it if I were a chipmunk kicker (which I am not), and it for sure came in range, passing inches from my feet.
While it didn’t run, it didn’t dilly dally either, and I didn’t have time to open my camera bag and get out my good camera. My wife says I should have just used my phone, but honestly, opening the camera app on my phone takes me a minute, too. Whatever. Chippy was off with its nut, its whole body practically stiff with disdain for the tall intruder in its woods.
As a consolation prize, I made some images of plants in the low sun. It’s a great time to make plant images, when the sun is low. The light is bright and golden and the angle backlights seed heads that can shimmer and shine.
Above and below, pretty woodland plants shining in afternoon sun along Grant Wood Trail.
Well, enough time wasted. Time to face the music and the wind. And an odd thing happened. The wind was more from the north than the west and had aided me on my way out. I expected it to resist me on the way back, and I did start a little slow. As I continued heading into the fading sun, however, my speed picked up. I was getting some miles where my speed was topping 10 mph—again, not the 11 or more I was doing on the way out, and not very fast if I was on Argent, my road bike, but decently moving on the old frame of the Fancy Beast.
On the way home, I did circle Waldo’s Rock pond and make a picture of it—it’s one of the prettiest sunset spots for biking riding in Cedar Rapids metro area. I stopped again at the first of the bridges near the western part of my ride, just under two miles to go to C Avenue. The curve bridge there is also pretty in the late light.
Not a new bridge, but a newish bridge. Curve bridge on Lindale Trail in Marion at sunset.
Waldo's Rock pond.
Heading home on Grant Wood Trail.
Heading west on new trail section, road to the left of me, corn to the right, stuck in the middle with you. Ear worms continue.
Seeing new bridge from the other side on the ride back to town.
New bike trail, resting on old bridge base over Big Creek, higher than county road.
When I finally got to C Avenue and turned towards home, I did feel the full force of the wind. But heading towards home meant going down the hill on C Avenue, so wind wasn’t that much of an impediment.
Map My Ride informed me that I took about 2 hour and 20 minutes to go 22.25 miles, averaging 9.4 mph. Since some of those miles were in the 7 mph range, whenever I stopped to take pictures, that meant others were faster. I had an 11.8 split, and several others in that range—plus one mile where I zoomed along at 13.5 mph.
Not fast for a fast biker. CR Biker, however, is old and slow—I would call 13.5 fast even on my road bike. It was a sign that the wind surely was blowing at my back for that mile.
As of Oct. 21, 168.43 miles for the month, 2,905.86 for the year.
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