Observation of Other Cities and Cycling: Chicago and LA

Bike shop in Pilsen, Chicago.

Follow me and I'll show you where the real road warriors roll

Took time to follow my favorite band around the US last week.  As usual, a short tour, just two dates, but both were held in iconic cities.  New Order played an 11 track set at Chicago's Riot Fest and then 3 days later headlined a gig at LA's famous Hollywood Bowl.  I was unable to bicycle from Friday to Wednesday but I spent a lot of time walking, taking planes, trains and buses and consequently viewed bicycle life in these cities.  Please note that I spent my time in very specific neighborhoods and did not have the full tour of either metro.  It was if I made a random inspection by dropping in a certain area of each city.

Sweet Home Chicago

Chicago was first.  I took the Megabus there and was picked up at the stop by two friends.  $30 one way ticket and I slept the entire journey.  The next day was the real adventure.  First thing we did in the morning was walk about 2 or 3 miles to a branch of the Illinois Currency Exchange and purchased a "Venture", refillable debit card that for $20 allowed me to take as many trains and buses I needed for 3 days.  We took the train all over Chicago.  That walk exposed me to a lot of the bicycle culture of the city.

We stayed in Pilsen, a neighborhood named after the Czech city.  Now it has a much spicier flavor. Our main road was 18th St.  There is a bicycle lane and many bike racks along the road.  Also, at least 2 bicycle shops along the way to the train station.

MY IMPRESSIONS

Near Douglas Park and Riot Fest.  A pair of Schwinns.  Step through "lady's frames" were popular.

A roadie on Carpenter.  Rack no bags  U-Lock through the front wheel.

One of the nicer single speeds.  Narrow bars and U-Lock through the front wheel.

The bicycles I saw were not toys.  The riders I saw were true road warriors.  One would have to be to ride in traffic.  The bicycle lanes were not protected.  The common color of the bicycles was black.  The common gearing was single.  Single speeds and mountain bikes from the 90s with a few heavy iron Schwinns from the 70s.  Nothing fancy.  Nothing flashy.  Nothing tempting to steal.  No fatbikes, no touring bikes and no cyclocross bikes.  Inexpensive lights and flashers if they had lights at all.  No generator hubs.  Few bikes had racks or baskets.  No $200 Surly racks.  No panniers or bags.  A lot of riders wore backpacks.  Fenders?  No.  Stereos on their bicycles?  No, the streets ain't no disco.  Helmets?  A few.  Jerseys and bicycle shorts?  Nope.  Safety vests?  Negative.  That's for construction workers and street crews.  One thing 99% had in common was U-Locks.  Big ones too to make sure the front wheel was secured when the bike was unattended.  I saw a number of bikes locked up missing wheels.

Popular bike rack style in Pilsen.

At a building of art studios near the old coal burning power plant near the river.  Pinkie is a single speed MTB, the middle one is a SS and the end is a older roadie.

Now this is not to say that other cycling does not occur in Chicago.  I have friends here that ride expensive bicycles and there are places to ride them around the city or out of the city.  But for the everyday bicycle trip one does not need such bikes.  Chicago is flat.  Also the possibility of theft increases with shiny expensive rides.  Hence, the black nondescript single speed or 7-speed bicycle with flat bars, short flat bars for that matter, is the steed of choice for urban riding.  Todd, our host in Pilsen, said that he recently sold his road bike because he never rode it.  He keeps two MTBs for his wife and himself.

Bike lane that goes over a steel bridge.  According to Todd some cyclist was killed by a car.  Since there was not a need for a four lane, bike lanes on both sides were painted in.

Even the bicycle shops seemed set up for this style.  We passed at least two and their windows displayed single speeds and track wheels.  I was happy to see the track wheels because that creates a market for the 60 mm presta stemmed tube that my commuter requires for my track wheels.

Another option for cycling in Chicago is their bike-share program, Divvy.  I saw a few of these stations in Pilsen.  Makes a lot of sense.  If you live and work near one of the 580 bicycle stations you can rent one of the 5800 bikes for commuting.  No more lugging a bike in and out, up and down the apartment.  Fenders and racks and locks included.  A faster way to get around town without the hassle of ownership.

Divvy bike share station in Pilsen near the currency exchange.

MASS TRANSIT

For longer trips one can bring their bicycle on the train during non-rush hours.  Two bikes per train car.  I never saw this but I read the signs.  Perhaps that's how one gets their roadie to the nice trails and countryside.  We did not do this.

But we did take the train to a few good sites in Chicago.  Colin asked, "How about a beer and a Polish sausage in Wrigleyville?" Why not?  First stop was at Millennium Park for a Starbucks and people watching then back on the train to get said beer and sausage at Murphy's Bleachers outside center field.  After that, and it was fun to be in Cubs ground Zero right before they nuked the visiting St Louis Cardinals,  we hopped on the train after tapping the turnstile with the Venture Pass and got within walking distance of Douglas park for Riot Fest.  We could have ridden bikes to Riot fest since it would have been a flat ride and was not far away and the promoters provided bicycle parking.  The next day we took the bus there.

Millennium Park

Colin circled in pink in the middle.  Me circled at bottom left.  Chrome blob.

Train outta Wrigleyville.

Two great days in the Windy City.  After Queens of the Stone Age we left Riot Fest and returned to Todd's place in Pilsen.  Exhausted from the show and facing an very, very early flight I suggested that Todd take me to the train station so I could catch the Blue Line and ride it to its end point, O'Hare Airport.  No sense in catching 3 hours of sleep and then go.  Just go now and I'll sleep in the airport and everyone else can sleep in longer.  One problem, not enough seats on the non-controlled side of TSA screening and screening does not open until 330 am.  Once they opened and I was stripped of shoes, emptied my pockets, detected for metal and patted down I got to my gate, plugged my phone in and slept until boarding.

HOLLYWOOD: WELCOME TO OUR FILTHY STREETS

On my own.  Colin was an excellent guide but he did not accompany me across the continent.  The woman next to me told another passenger that LA lacks good mass transit and that Uber of Lyft were the best options for getting around.  She then turned to me and asked if I agreed.  Sorry, not a resident.  I was planning to Lyft however I found bus info at the terminal.  For $8 I could take Flayaway shuttle service to withing 2 miles of my destination and be able to take it again to LAX as early as 515 am for another $8.  Cheaper than taxi or ride share.  Taking the bus from the airport to Hollywood,,,there's a country song in this somewhere.

The first thing that hit me as I walked to my hostel on the Walk of Fame was how filthy the streets and sidewalks are.  Maybe the lack of rain.  Maybe the endless throngs of tourists.  Maybe the city is broke.  Maybe they don't care.  I'd like to go back with a power washer.

Yes Virginia, there are bicycle lanes and routes in Los Angeles.  This one is in Hollywood.

I like the bicycle sign above the street sign.

One of the first bikes I saw.  Nice commuter.  I wonder if fenders are really needed in LA?

A Hollywood sharrow on a filthy street.

Broken bike rack hidden in a shopping complex on Hollywood Blvd behind the 24 hour Subway.

LA is not known for its bicycling.  This is a car-centric city.  People get killed riding bikes here.  I remember a few years ago someone organized a bicycle ride to some awards show.  I have a friend here that says people cannot commute on bicycle here without seriously risking their lives.  There are bike routes and shared roads marked by sharrows, MTB trails and paths throughout the city.  Santa Monica has a wonderful 20 mile trail called The Strand.  But alas, this is for touring not commuting.  Bicycles just a entertainment piece not a transportation device.

Sidewalks are not a viable option either.  Trees that are not palm trees destroy them it appears.

Such a shame and I am calling the State of California out.  Their political and environmental sanctimonious stands mean nothing when they are forever happily embedded in car culture. But as I said, they do have bicycle routes and share roads and a bicycle sharing program although I only saw one on my way back to LAX.

Not only is the city exclusively set up for cars but the drivers are very dangerous themselves.  My friend John-Henry explains,

 "People in the area do act like they have a force field around them... 
I lived in LA for 3 years, so I can drive like they do in many ways, but people from Hollywood take more risks than anyone I know, and act like they are driving normal."
More words from Curbed LA on bicycling in LA in general and LA's bike share program Metro Bike Share

"Riding a bike in Los Angeles is often viewed as a fringe activity rather than a viable mode of transportation. But it's exactly this norm that Metro wants to change as it expands bike share across LA."

Thus until the transportation paradigm changes bicycling in LA will remain a freak show or the domain of playing with toys, the bicycle as a toy not transportation.

What I saw

I saw a few bicycles chained up to parking meters along Sunset Blvd.  One was a decent Giant roadie. I believe it was still there Tuesday morning when I walked back to the Flyaway shuttle stop on Vine.
I did see what most likely was a touring bike with panniers and a the rider wearing a backpack or Camelback riding west on Sunset.  The placed I stayed was on Orange Drive.  There were sharrows painted on the street.  It's a long and sometimes steep hill.  Sunset marks the end of LA's flatland and by Franklin the hills are really established.  I saw a few people riding up Orange Dr and a bike, albeit missing a wheel, locked to a parking meter or rack near the top of that road.  Other than that mostly nondescript bikes.  Flashy cars and rugged bikes.

These two bicycles were inside the gated yard of the hostel I stayed at, Orange Drive Hostel.  I never met the owners.  On the board inside there were flyers for bicycle rentals but I think they were in bicycle friendly areas.

There were a few brave souls heading down to Hollywood on Highland Ave which is the feeder/off ramp for the 101.  A sea of cars and these cyclists fly and weave through traffic like they were born to do this.  Insane road warriors! John-Henry explains just how bad the 101 is when I commented that even the pedestrian traffic from the Hollywood Bowl after the concert was a slow mess.

"Hollywood Bowl is also the same exit a lot of people exit the strip from, and streets were designed in the 40s with a minor upgrade of the on-ramp to the 101 in the 70s? Way before traffic ever got that bad. Traffic lights are on every corner every 200 feet, with no rhyme or reason to how they change red/green, and the 101 is a mess, has to be one of the worst freeways in the nation, it is a three lane that handles the volume of a five lane freeway, not to mention it is like driving on the roller coaster, with ups and downs and sharp turns. making traffic slow down, and then the people in the area drive are insane. They swerve in traffic two lanes at time, looks like they don't even look in their mirrors or anything. I hate the 101. 
My home is 1 1/2 hours from the start of the 101, often it will take me 45 minutes to an hour just to travel another 15 miles on the 101.You honestly can't make traffic move any faster in Hollywood... actually I thought they did a great job as it wasn't the mess I thought it would be. "

Home Sweet Home Des Moines, Iowa

The Des Moines River Trail is to the left of the river.  The plane was named Maya the Jaguar.

As my ears started to explode from changing altitude and the pilot announced the final descent I looked out the window for something familiar.  At one point we flew over the Des Moines River Trail that is a mere few tenths of a mile from my house.   A little bit later I was eating at an establishment near one of our fine sidepath/bicycle/pedestrian trails.  Two cyclists were stopped at a light, bright reflective vests on a pair of touring bikes out for an evening of fun I thought.  Yeah, Des Moines, where everyone can ride a $1500 touring bicycle with $400 worth of panniers and $500 worth of generator hub lighting system to make a 20 mile round trip with a case of beer, if they can afford it.  The two cyclists reminded me of replacement soldiers fresh from boot camp in clean uniforms in some war movie.  Ready to take on the world but yet to be exposed to the horrors to come.  I wonder how long they would last on the streets of LA or Chicago? Cyclists in Des Moines and in Iowa for that matter do not know how lucky and privileged we have it here.  My 15 mile commute to work contains 13 miles of a purposely built bike/pedestrian road (trail) although not nearly wide enough for the explosion of trail users during the past decade but a safe car free road.  Des Moines is loaded with them.  Less than a half mile from my home I can get on the trail system and ride over 100 miles without riding on the streets or highways or repeating trail sections over and over and over again. The images of a cyclist on Chicago's 18th St with cheap AA powered lights and a boat anchor U-lock attached to a generic black bicycle riding through late night traffic floats in my head still.  Not in a protected bike lane, naked on the streets, baby.  He was on his way somewhere maybe because he enjoys it or cannot afford other transportation.  What ever reason, I salute him and admire his braveness.  Check your bicycle privilege.

Update on Urbandale's New Bridge Over Walnut Creek

If you have ridden from the Clive Greenbelt to the Raccoon River Valley Trail you would have noticed the "TRAIL CLOSED" signs and a large pile of dirt at the north end of the Hickman rd underpass.  The City of Urbandale is building a pedestrian bridge over Walnut Creek to link with the RRVT.

Official statement on August 23, 2017 reads: Urbandale Pedestrian Bridge

 

"This project would provide for the installation of a 5' wide sidewalk from the intersection of 
Deer Creek
 Trail and Hickman Road to connect to the Raccoon Valley Trail.  This project will also include
 a 60-foot
 long pedestrian bridge over Walnut Creek."

Project Status Update - 08/23/2017

The Raccoon River Valley Trail at Hickman Road is closed. The contractor has begun work 
on bank shaping
 and stabilization along Walnut Creek. Project is expected to be complete by the end of September. "

Since Mary and I were in the area yesterday and assuming that no one would be working on the bridge 
during the holiday (Iowa v ISU Football Game) we decided to take a peak.

Here is the view from underneath Hickman Rd.

Here is the view of a possible trail connection from 128th.

But most likely one will only be able to reach this via Deer Creek Trail.  To get to that road one needs
 to be on 
NW128th and turn west on Cardinal Lane then a right on Oakbrook Drive and and left on Deer 
Creek Trail and head south.

Or one can take the sidewalk along Hickman Rd and catch the new section at the intersection.

Closing Out the Summer: Labor Day Ride To The High Trestle

The official Summer according to Americans begins on Memorial Day Weekend and ends on Labor Day.  Despite being hot and humid, most people consider this the best time of the year.  We took advantage of these time markers and rode our bicycles to the High Trestle on both occasions.  Kinda our tradition started by Rob, my college debate partner, and friends.  So when the text came I replied 'yes."

I must make amends.  Only one friend asked me to join them on a bicycle ride during the Labor Day weekend.  No surprise.  Most are now gluing themselves to bar stools to watch American football which just started.  Gotta watch em all!  Others have Honey Do lists long ignored because of bicycling and others have family or other commitments.  But only one of you fookers bothered to invite me for a ride.  let it go, I got the ride I wanted with some dear friends.

I would like to say the best place on earth to spend Labor Day Weekend is in Madrid, Iowa.  They have a 4 day celebration complete with car shows, parades and fireworks.  The fireworks we saw from the Trestle last night we spectacular!  honestly, 20 minutes!  We always enjoy Madrid on this holiday.  I cannot recommend it enough.

Mary and I at FireTrucker.  Thank you Dave for the photo!

Simply plan.  meet at Firetrucker Brewery in Ankeny and then ride to the High trestle along the scenic High Trestle Trail.  And back.  Karl said he was going which met that we could opt to hitch a ride to and fro Firetrucker in his truck.  But Mary and decided it would be best to ride to the brewery. We did not ride on Saturday.

14.6 miles to Firetrucker.  We took 6th Ave up from highland Park area after riding to Birdland Marina from home.  This saves time and miles.  Got there with 10 minutes to spare.  Also, we were the first to arrive.  Talked to Dave from team Mate while we waited.  Soon Bill and Rob arrived.  Unfortunately, we waited til almost 7 pm for the others.  Karl was a no show and Jeremy was needed Karl to schlep him there.  Others had other commitments and one had recent hand surgery.  Foursome for the ride tonight.

Bill who rides a wonderful Gunnar.

Rob who wished he wore a jersey because his cargo pants had too much stuff in the pockets.

We hammered to the trestle.  Wish we would have stopped to take a photo of the red sun at sunset. Canadian wildfires greatly increased the particulate matter in our air giving us gorgeous views.  One stop at the trailhead in Madrid for a potty break.  But the trail was PACKED!  This place never loses it's appeal.  Next stop the High Trestle!

Trail was packed and it was dark.  I forgot my headlamp so I had the choice of burning out retinas or being invisible.  I altered.  While we were stopped at the trailhead I opened a Light House box but no lights were available.  Somehow we weaved our way through without hitting, maiming or killing anyone.  Prime time on the Trestle.  Many groups and families.  We stopped at an empty alcove before reaching the Blue Zone.  Time for a PowerBar and a drink.  After a bit and the obligatory photos in the Blue Zone we rode up to the scenic overlook.

Bush Light Trifecta: all three forms of beer--bottle, draft and can.

It seemed less crowded on the way back.  We stopped at the Flat Tire Lounge for a beer and Rob got a pizza from Casey's.  Nice of him.  Mary and I ate about 2 pm and the PowerBar was not enough. While waiting to be served I noticed they had Busch Light bottles and tallboys in the cooler.  Do they have it on tap?????  Yes they do!!!!  "One bottle, can and draft of Busch Light and a Bud Light for me wife, please."  Trifecta time!  This was my third Busch Light Trifecta.  New rule: one one trifecta per establishment unless another of your party is doing one too.

On the trail again.  Empty trail.  Well, one person with a flat tire.  We stopped to help him by providing light and offering a pump to inflate the tube before he used CO2.  He lives in Slater and must have been a few miles out.  We never saw him again.  Night Hawk for the last round.

Should be mentioned that the wind was from the south west.  And said wind never let up.  I think it increased.  Favorable cross wind on the way up.  But we made it to the Oasis at 1:19 am for a final break.  Mary and I would be parting ways with Bill and Rob at Irvingdale Ave, our normal route.

The avenue was empty so we elected to take the road instead of the sidepath/trail.  Then we decided to take the trail, NST, home instead of 6th Ave.  There could be cars and cars out this late are likely to be driven by drunks.  But we really were not all that safe.  Despite the lack of other cyclists or pedestrians or furry animals our tiredness was the danger.  Had to work at keeping awake.  We did and were back in Des Moines soon.

It should be noted that Robert Ray Rd near the Women of Achievement Bridge was very active when we rode through after 3 am.  Lots of cars parked and people on the trail.  Some passenger in a white car had the door open and appeared to be RESC (rapidly emptying stomach contents).  we did not stay around.  plenty of people to help.  End of their summer, too.

It was 345 am when we entered our home.  Ironic since it is the time the alarm goes off Monday through Friday.  Fritz was glad to see us and so was the cat.  Glad it was not time to go to work!

So ends the summer.  Fare thee well and thank you.  With autumn and winter the trail will thin out and perhaps we will return to the Trestle.  Since the days are shorter and nights longer we can get there earlier and return home before midnight.  then again, it probably will be another late ride!

75 miles from our home to the High trestle and back.  We took our road bikes.  For the Memorial Day ride we rode our fast tandem.

At the Night Hawk, Slater, Iowa.

Sunday South East Des Moines Exploration Ride

Meh, muddy on the other side.  But from here we did see the work being done in completing the trail.  Just a matter of time.

The direction we have not ridden in has been the south east.  Carlisle, Summerset Trail, Indianola our gateway to southern Iowa.  Yesterday we rode south to Martensdale so something different was in order for today.  Carlisle with a possible extension to the Summerset Winery since my son and I shared a bottle of their Marshall Foch last night.  I am in need of another since the Malbec that followed was not up to par.  Besides that the hill or two and the fast county roads are wonderful to ride.  Mary and set out on our road bikes.  As for the weather, rain forecasted but it was south of Des Moines and moving east.  Although dark to the south it was not a threat.  Just looked bad, dark grey clouds and all.  The humidity was almost off the charts.  Gotta keep moving for the breeze to evaporate the sweat.

About two miles into it she announces that the bridge on Evergreen Ave is closed for construction. Crap!  We'll have to see.  Closed roads have rarely been a deterrent for us.  I was hoping that the entire road would be closed for repavement because it is rough.  And that rough stretch is a bummer because my bike likes to get up over 20 mph on that road on our way out.  "Worse comes to worse we'll cut through Easter Lake Park."

What sort of man reads Penthouse?  One in a dumpster!

Worse did come to worse because of the 445 am rain.  A long stretch of road lacked pavement and the clay/dirt roadbed was littered with puddles.  Not a place for delicate road bikes.  Fatbikes yes but not our nice bikes.  Plan B: the Trails of Easter Lake.  We rode them earlier this year and could see the new sections underdevelopment.  Surely we can get to the other side.

GeoCouch score.

Distraction.  Someone illegally dumped an upholstered chair in the dumpster.  Time for a GeoCouch photo.  So I gave my phone to Mary and I climbed on top for the photo shoot.  Other treasures were in here too.  A Penthouse from 1994, a VHS head cleaner and two Easter baskets.  Unfortunately, the rain ruined the magazine and every page was either an advert or an article.  I did find the centerfold by the end of the photo session but the gel lens photography was ruined by the early morning rain. So one last photo of me holding two Easter baskets with the porn in one and the VHS cleaner in the other.  A local was walking on the trail and asked me how I was going to get the chair home.  Time to laugh.  he then told us about all the garbage they drug out of the lake when they recently drained it.  Bad.  Three cars!  He then told us that he worked for DSM public schools and when they cleaned the parks up from fornicators they started doing it on school grounds! You can stop people from shafting in the parks but cannot stop people from shafting!   Time to roll.  The humidity was horrid and we were sweating.

Back on the trail we rode until Mary announced that we missed the turn.  Somehow we missed the covered bridge, or so we thought, and ended up at the dog park at Ewing Park which was incredibly ironic or an instance of karma.  Earlier this week one of my co-workers told the tale of her pregnant adult daughter and her grandchildren calling to say that they were lost in Ewing Park.  For some reason during their hike they got off the path and horribly lost.  So lost that they were on their hands and knees crawling through brush.  One kid eventually made it out and dialed 911.  At 1030 pm my co-worker received a phone call from the Des Moines Police Department saying that her daughter and grandchildren were found and safe.  Of course the rest of us at work found this to be a funny story, how does one get lost at Ewing Park?  So now Mary and I were wondering where or if we missed a turn.  We doubled back and saw that there was no turn.  Turn around again and roll into Ewing Park proper as we saw a trail there.

This path led us to the back side of the disc golf course or Harry Piper Pkwy.  On the way there we passed the soap box derby track which I intend to take a bicycle down sometime in the future.  Also the BMX track is out here as well probably explaining why we saw about 5 BMXers in full kit flying down the derby track.  We climbed out and were on Indianola Ave near Firestation #10.  If we followed the avenue we'd meet up with Highway 5.  There we could take the wide shoulder to Avon Lake and then get to Carlisle.  "Let's take Payton Ave (SE 60th).  Just explore, reaching Carlisle does not matter"  Mary suggested.  The road was paved and we had never been on it.  Why not?

It is a lovely road to ride a bicycle on.  Not much traffic, smooth and a great hill.  With the right wind and some effort possibly a 40 mph+ hill.  In fact the hill was so good that when I saw the bike trail I did not slow down for it.  I zoomed past knowing that I was going to turn around despite a strong desire to zoom up the other side and take a peak.  So I used my left hand to make some sort of signal to Mary that it was time to perform the Crazy Ivan and turn back to the trail.  The view from the top of the hill would have to wait.  Suddenly this ride is begetting more rides out here.

Lilly pond in the Three Lakes development.

We've seen this trail from Highway 5 before from cars.  Basically a residential trail for the new housing developments out here.  Possibly part of an eventual trail link up from Des Moines to Carlisle.  This would be our first exploration of the trail.  It crosses Army Post Rd/Highway 5 but traffic was light.  After a small pond there was a white stone fence that looked like a great stop to enjoy an adult beverage on.  I wonder what friends I could drag out here for this?  Then it winds in to the Three Lakes neighborhood.  For some reason that does not show up on Google Maps but it leads to E Pine Ave/SE 72nd St.  E Pine leads to SE 45th which gave us the option of going south to where it dead ends thanks to the 65/69 Bypass or north to Highway 5/Army Post Rd where we could either continue north to go home or turn east and head into Avon Lake and and continue to Carlisle.  We have never been on this side of SE 45th but always use the other side to go to and fro Carlisle and have often stared at at the south part and wondered if it lead anywhere.  But now my stomach was grumbling since one PowerBar and nothing but coffee does not last long.  Rancho Alegre would be our next stop.

Now instead of riding up to Evergreen Ave as SOP we headed back into Easter Lake hoping to complete the loop we began or at least get to Indianola Ave.  We followed the trail and found the covered bridge and then found where the trail ends.  Nope, trail is not connected yet.  Time to do some hills in the park and enjoy the speed bumps.  And they were real nice speed bumps, perhaps the best ever, so smooth I don't know why they placed warning signs about them.  Now the climb up Easter Lake Drive.  This is a narrow road without a shoulder.  Unfortunately, the city in its wisdom never widened the road to accommodate all the housing developments that have recently flooded this area.  No one honked, swore or threatened up but it is not my favorite road to bike on and I cannot wait until the trail around Easter Lake is completed so I can never visit this road again.

When we reached Indianola Ave we had a bike lane all the way to the intersection across from the restaurant we were going to.  Rancho Alegre has the best chips in salsa in town and the big burrito meal is great.  Not a hug burrito but a 12" tortilla with steak, cilantro ect inside that you hold in your hand and spoon in mole or verde salsa in between bites.  And the beans and rice are great too.  Do yourself a favor and eat there sometime.  Closed on Tuesdays, we've made that mistake before.

Well it was a 23 mile ride on a cloudy and very humid day.  Got to check out our neglected backyard and saw many opportunities for future rides.  Trails, smooth country roads and hills and parks.  what was not to love?

Colorado Mike

Made a swoop around the shelter to the sidewalk leading to it from the south.  Still shy of the sidewall gash that ruined an $80 tire a month ago.  Someone was there but the shade hid the details.

"Do you know anything about gears? he queried as I was dismounting my bike.  "Yes," I replied thinking that I have cabled my share of derailleurs and fixed shifting on another share of bikes and the Rule #1: NEVER TAKE A SCREW DRIVER TO A DERAILLEUR UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Once in the shelter I could see.  He's got a Denali road bike pulling a trailer, two large duffel bags and assorted stuff spread on the tables and a Husky.  "I'm riding to Colorado and I only have two gears." Mountains come to mind.  Then the hills of Iowa which he cannot avoid from here to Winterset. Once he reaches Winterset it will be flat for most of the way to the Loess Hills and border.  Yeah, he's gonna need some gears.  Time to assess his situation further.

Basic Shimano 3x7 with GripShift.  Sure enough, someone took a screwdriver to the front derailleur and messed with the High or the Low setting screw.  I pick it up and crank it and try to shift the front.  No joy, stuck in granny.  Adjust the barrel at the shifter but no improvement.  Shift the rear and get some shifting.  "Do you have any tools?"

"Nothing but a 15 mm wrench to take the trailer on and off and a knife."

That ain't gonna work.  Need to adjust that screw and take out the slack in the cable for the front derailleur.

"I rode here from Ames last night.  Stopped at the cafe in Prole and waiting for them to open then they told me about this place so I came here and slept."

"You did into take the trail into Des Moines?

"There's a trail?  I took Highway 69.  I could not find this trail last night."

He would have rode right by us at Orlando's.  515 fest would have blocked his way unless he could have found the gravel path.  "The homeless in Des Moines really liked my trailer.  They wanted me to give them this.  No way."

"Gonna ride to Winterset and then head west.  I've ridden from Colorado to Ames on a MTB but some FaceBook friends gave me this new bike when i got there.  A lot of people follow me on FaceBook."  I tried to find him on FB, no luck.

"Well, Mary and I have no tools except stuff to fix a flat tire.  You need to go to the gas station down the hill and purchase a screwdriver and either a 10 mm wrench or a pair of pliers or something."  The derailleur's cable uses a nut and and a flat bolt instead of a hex bolt.  I would not have been carrying the required tools.  "We'll watch your dog."

Lena is his Husky.  She rides in the trailer.  Until this moment she was quietly laying down in the shade.  Mike handed Mary the leash and he was on his way.  Lena sat next to me and allowed me to pet her and never made a whimper or sound noting that her master rode away.  Then she laid down.  Mike was not gone long and returned with a Philips head screwdriver and a pair of pliers.  Time to work.

Adjust the High and Low screws up front and got some positive movement but still needed to pull the cable through.  Either cable stretch or poor assembly.  "Yeah, they tried to adjust it for me yesterday."  Soon I could get the chain to the big ring.  Front done.  The rear just required adjustment to the Low screw.  I was able to get it to the next to last cog.  Lacking a proper bike stand and expertise I felt that he was much better off than he was last night.  Seriously, I ain't the best wrench but I can get a bike moving in emergencies.  I had no issues going to the cog on the far right.  Check the front again and make a few more adjustments.  "You got more gears now.  I don't guarantee my work but you have the tools.  You should be able to climb up the hills now without killing yourself."

Mike told us a little more about himself.  Wounded by a IED over in the Sandbox he's had trouble maintaining full employment.  Seizures and memory issues.  In Colorado he will go to the VA and seek help.  He said he works 6 months out of the year excavating then the other 6 months going on adventures such as this.  He lived in Des Moines but moved to Colorado when or after he was a freshman at East HS.  He is friends with someone who works at Barr Bicycle in Clive.  Then he became another victim of the never ending war in the Middle East.


We kinda envied him for a bit, the lack of schedule and the ability to travel and explore the US on bicycle albeit not the best machine.  "I walked from Portland to Tacoma [or something like that I forgot the exact locations] but I'll never do that again.  Large cats and bears.  Scary."  Yep, I was spotted by a mountain lion once and got within 25 yards of it.  Cats think about what they are going to do, how they are going to attack prey.  Hate being on a critter's menu.

It was time for us to head north for 21 miles to the comfort of our air conditioned home and stable employment and all the creature comforts we have acquired in the safety of our normal lives. We shook hands and wished him safe travels.  I wished I had one of the dozen maps that I have at home to give him and a set of tools.  But he should be fine.  Said it took him two weeks to ride from Colorado to Ames.  He's young.  He has been through hell and back.  Some of us wait until we are old to do that adventure. Long may he ride!

Apply the Band-Aid

Be careful when cycling on the Clive Greenbelt.  Heading west when you pass 515 brewery there is a set of railroad tracks that needs attention.  One of the ties has rotted away and it is extremely rough on skinny tires.  There may be crashes until this is fixed.  The rail crossing is private property and unless a trail derails here or a lawsuit emerges I doubt it will be fixed soon.  It has been this way all summer.

The City of Clive has placed this sign to help.

Of course I should just fill the Burley with gravel and fill the hole myself.  Be careful!  You've been warned!!

Neal Smith Trail Along Pennsylvania Ave

As a cyclist I often find myself as the spokesperson for the bicycling community.  And this often occurs when I am the only cyclist in the room or the area.  I was reminded of this today as I was riding to Union Park to photograph the rocket slide.  I just climbed up from Lutheran Hospital and made the left on the pathetic excuse of a trail in front of Riverview Oaks Apartments when I saw a man on a hybrid cruising north on Penn Ave at speed.  I was a bit envious of him as I knew that I would have to worry about collisions with cyclists and walkers and cars coming out of driveways.  He only had to worry about the car behind him.  Sure enough, a microsecond after jealousy hit a black SUV was flying toward the street leaving the apartment complex.  I squeezed both brake levers and lost whatever speed I had in time for the climate changer to stop on the trail.  Not that close of a call but damn somebody is going to get hurt here one of these days.

Narrows after the apartments.

Thinking back a few months ago the conversation with muggle who was upset at cyclists.  It was at my local barber shop and I was known as "the biker."  The man getting his hair trimmed was an elderly gentleman, probably a veteran of WWII or Korea or both.

"How come bikers ride on Penn Ave itself instead of the trail paid by my taxes?"  "How come bikers think they can go through stop signs and red lights"  ect, ect

Now I could have hit him over the head with the truth of the matter concerning taxes.  "Guess what Pops, your car does not pay enough taxes for the roads anyway and my bicycle does not damage the roads in the first place.  Now tell me about the time in France when you faced the Kaiser's best troops and liberated Paris."

The whole climate change discussion was ignored.  But I told him that he should get a chair and sit out on a street corner and count how many car drivers break the law by not coming to complete stops.

But I did tell him that the trail there is bad and in need of work.  Today only reinforced my opinion.

First of all it is narrow like most trails.  And being an older trail it is more narrow than most. Basically it is a sidewalk.  The risk of head on collision with other trail users is high.  And this is an important and busy trail as it connects downtown to places north.  It is also in a residential neighborhood and thus more foot/bike/skateboard traffic.

Second, the trail is in rough shape.  Cracks run most of it.  Most cracks have vegetation growing in them.  Some parts have been dug up and left a mud hole for months on end.

You could grow crops in that crack!

Third, there are three major driveways along it.  Takes a lot of faith in humanity to believe that every vehicle will stop before the trail and look both ways both at the street and trail before crossing.  Takes a lot of awareness to look out for them.  Right hooks and left hooks.  Add in the fact that people tend to look at phones more than the road and we got trouble.  Safer to be in the street to begin with.

The new looking portion of the trail was a mud hole last year for several monts.

Finally, winter.  Although the trail is to be plowed and home owners on top of Penn Ave are to clear their sidewalk (trail) of snow this is not a successful endeavor.  City snowplows continually bury the cleared sidewalk/trail/sidepath with street snow.  I'd give up too.  Not everyone puts their bicycle away after Ragbrai and pull them out for the Mayor's Ride.  More and more people ride all year round.  Penn Ave becomes the only choice.

Now I am not asking for a handout to address these issues immediately.  I just want those that do not ride, muggles, to know and understand that there are legitimate reasons that cyclists take to the street.