In Which I Have Hope for a Brighter Future

Lights of bike bridge in Marion seen Dec. 18, 2024.

In the end, 2024 didn’t go as I hoped that it would. I didn’t exceed 3,000 miles on my bikes, nor reach my goal of riding 3,300 miles. And I thought, through much of the year, that my miles in 2025 would easily be even more, what with my retiring and having for time for more, longer bicycle rides.

What I didn’t anticipate were some medical bumps in the road. In March, I had a TIA, and was being way more careful after that to not push my bike rides too hard. Yet, as the year drew to its close, I had some dizziness, some light headedness and chest pressure—not pain, but a feeling that something was not right.

As it turns out, my feelings were right, in that something was not right. I ended up having some medical tests which indicated some heart issues, and now I’m going to have heart surgery in early 2025—and Dec. 18, the day before I met with a heart doctor, was my final bike ride of 2024, which was not my life plan.

Well, life is like a bike ride. You can make plans but also must just deal with what you find, what you encounter on the journey. My time on two wheels is on temporary hiatus, probably for several months. Yet, it is likely by March or so I will be ready to roll again.

Dec. 9--Bike ride on Lindale Trail in sunshine--deer traffic on trail. There was winter weather in December, but it was nice enough for biking in most days in Iowa.

I won’t set a mile goal for 2025. I feel like when I start riding again, it will be like starting to ride again, with a body I have to get used to and train from square one. Well, at least the skill of riding a bike won’t have gone away. And heart rehab will be aided by wheeling across the planet, once I’m ready.

At least the months I’m losing—January and February—aren’t prime biking season anyway. While there are no guarantees in this life—as I’m well learning now—my health prognosis is good, with a very high likelihood of being able to get back to biking this year.

We’ll see what is coming.

My last ride, Dec. 18, was an interesting day, one week before Christmas. It’s my wedding anniversary, and after my solo ride, my wife and I went out for a nice dinner.

It was a chilly, grey winter day. I rode down to campus (to get some files I needed for work) and then doubled back along the Cemar Trail. It was a medium ride—cool, but not too cold as I was dressed well.

When I got close to home, the light was getting dim, and I decided to ride down the Lindale Trail. They have completed the trail bridge in Marion that goes across Seventh Avenue, the town’s main drag at that point. I don’t typically ride the trail in dark, but twilight is not full dark. Yet it was dark enough that I hoped to see what the bridge lighting looks like.

Dec. 18--Last biking selfie of the year (above) and bike parked at twilight near bridge.

Well, it was quite pretty, but also obviously set to be decorative from the street—to be a fancy gateway into Marion. The lights are on the exterior of the bridge. They leak enough light onto the bridge deck to illuminate the way there at night, but there is a bit of a ride on a dark trail to get to the bridge from either direction, so I don’t blame the powers that be for illuminating the bridge to look good for drivers rather than plan it to be best for bikers on the bridge, since one would not expect many bikers there at night.

I’m glad I came. The bridge was pretty to see with its lights on, and my twilight strategy worked out OK—I won’t make a habit of a ride at that time, but my bike lights were adequate and I enjoyed the sight, not realizing that is would become my final ride for a while. It all, it was 11.18 miles for the day, almost 95 miles in December and 2,953.83 miles for the year.

Goodbye, 2024. What with one thing and another, it wasn’t quite the year I hoped that it would be, but then again, I suppose, life is never fully what I hope it will be. I still enjoyed almost 3,000 miles rolling across this pretty Earth via bicycle in 2024, and I look forward, after my unexpected break, to continue that kind of journey.

I hope your 2024 went well and that you’ll roll many miles in 2025. And I hope to see some of you out on the bike trails soon enough!

Bike on Cemar Trail near Raining Rose. Gray, cool day. As it turned out, this ride on my road bike Argent was the final ride of 2024. Not what I wanted, but I enjoyed the miles I could ride.

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 Tyres Bring Some Challenges

Jan. 29--Pretty late day light on Lindale Trail in Cedar Rapids.

Feb. 20--Pretty, frosty morning seen on morning bike ride to work, C Avenue Pond.

Feb. 18, pretty late light on Creek Trail behind Linn-Mar High School in Marion.

It’s been a little while since I reported on my two-wheeled journey through life. It was near the end of January the last time your correspondent wrote a blog post.

It’s been a busy time. Winter term turned to spring semester with no break; I attended a statewide student college media conference; my wife and I worked on jigsaw puzzles and got hooked on an old British TV mystery show (Midsummer Murders)—what with one thing and another, almost a month has passed.

Most of that month has been a sunny, dry and unusually warm February. In fact, today, Feb. 20, I posted images on Facebook of flowers blooming in my backyard gardens.

Anyway, while I have not done any long (over 50 miles) rides, I have been riding almost every day. There was even one day, Friday of last week, when it had snowed overnight, but I made the unusual choice to ride anyway. The snow was just a light dusting, and it was cold so the snow hadn’t melted and frozen into ice, but stayed a white powder. I thought I might be OK rolling across it on my mountain bike, and, as it turned out, I was correct.

Feb. 16--Snowy Friday and I'm not the only crazy bike commuter. I don't know whose it is, but a white bike beside my black mountain bike.

Feb. 15, pretty morning light as I arrive on campus.

I was lucky to have the mountain bike ready to ride. In January, the back tyre went flat. I didn’t find the cause, but changing the tube seemed to fix it. But, when I took the wheel off, I noted the brake shoes were so worn the metal under the rubber was starting to show.

So there was a slight delay until I could pick up some new shoes before I could ride that bike. Meanwhile, I was riding my road bike or my hybrid bike. The mountain bike is my usual winter bike, yet this February has barely counted as winter.

But I got the job done, and The Fancy Beast is rolling again. Meanwhile, I noticed that the outer layer has started to wear off of the front tyre of my road boke. For more than a week, I’ve left it parked as I have simply not found the time to get to a bike shop for a new tyre.

Feb. 4--New brake shoes installed on The Fancy Beast, after a few days, it's ready to ride again.

Jan. 28--One morning I just found this. I had ridden this bike the day before. Time change tubes.

Jan. 28, changing tube. Sadly, bike not ready to ride when I'm done--brake shoes too worn.

One reason the quest isn’t too urgent is the season. I make far less use of my road bike Argent when it’s winter—the Fancy Beast is my usual winter ride, and I’ve used Clarence, my hybrid bike, when I want a lighter steed. The road bike will be ready when the weather turns really warm and I aim for longer rides.

If I’m going to roll 50 miles, it would only be on my lightest, fastest bike. But at this time of year, other bikes serve me perfectly well.

Meanwhile spring is coming early. Your biker correspondent has been on the saddle nearly every day. As of Feb. 20, I’ve ridden 152.88 miles this month. That compares to 128.39 in all of January. So far this year, I’ve rolled 280.94 miles, which I think is OK given the time of year. More images from recent rides:

Jan. 29, Deer by trail.

Feb. 3--Bike at day's end (road bike shortly before I stopped riding it due to tyre wear).

Feb. 11--Snow has melted off county trails--on ride north to Robins.

Feb. 18--Creek on trail near Menards.

The Fancy Beast in the woods Feb. 20--finally dry enough to ride mountain bike trail off of Boyson Trail.

Feb. 4--On bridge on Boyson Trail.

Feb. 4--Warm weather brings bike and foot traffic to Lindale Trail.

Feb. 8, ride down to Cedar Lake.

In Which the Biker Loses and Regains Mittens

Pausing at a bridge on the Boyson Trail.

The streets were sometimes snowy this week, and one morning, I madethe decision that the weather wasn’t good for biking.

But despite the one-day break, I rolled through 32 miles this week, including some today, a very cold winter day.

A bit dicey on some streets Monday morning. The bit of sun that day improved the evening ride dramatically.

My bike, mountain this time, parked at Mount Mercy University.

I think this was Wednesday. I took longer trail route home, and briefly stopped down by Cedar Lake.

Today, I rode the hybrid, but only because I was riding with a grandson, and that’s the bike that has the Tab-A-Long attachment.

Most of my rides this week, after the exciting near fall last week, were on The Fancy Beast. On some cold days, that old mountain bike felt a little creaky. I think some bearings in the rear may be iffy—but then again, it rode more smoothly on warmer days, so perhaps some frozen moisture was most to blame.

In any case, the week was mostly a pretty, if chilly one. The highlight was the ride today when I took along a young grandson. The 6-year-old was enthusiastic about getting  a ride, even in the cold.

Maybe it helped that we had spent some time in the morning playing the backyard. He already knew that if he dressed for the weather it was not too cold to be outside.

Riding with a young child on a cold day is an adventure. We stopped at Walgreens to stare at movie ads in the rental box outside—not because we were going to rent a movie, but just because the boy wanted to check to see which movies he had seen and chat about them for a while.

Ready for ride Saturday afternoon.

Bike parked on bridge over Dry Creek on Boyson Trail Saturday.

Watching duck in Dry Creek.

And we stopped on a bridge where he could toss some sticks and snow into the open water of the creek below. I tried to discourage the snow. He was earing knitted gloves, and if he played too much in the snow, they would get wet and his hands would get cold.

Which is exactly what happened. So for brief intervals, I took off my own mitten and had him wear them to warm up his unhappy hands.

Which meant I was biking bare handed. In 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

That’s why the intervals were brief.

Anyway, I got him home and then rode home myself. I had toyed with the idea of going on a longer ride after dropping off the Tag-A-Long, but my face was complaining about the chill.

So I stayed home. Which is OK. More than 30 miles in a week isn’t all that bad in February, I’m thinking. Now, I have 103 miles for the month and 218 for the year so far.

Went to an art reception at Mount Mercy University for artist Gail Chavenelle. This is one of her sculptures.

Morning sky early in the week.

Clouds are pretty, but I'll take more mornings like this. Cold Friday morning.

Final look at Feb. 29 ride.