The Covid Files #6 Rides of Isolation Let's Take A different Trail Home

Seems like I've been on this bridge before!

I cannot mention the name of yesterday's riding partner because of said partner's spouse.  Not that we did anything wrong, no booze for that matter, it's just said partner promised said spouse that It (I will refer to riding partner as It to protect Its identity) would be home by 530 pm.  One time It was in trouble because of a FaceBook post and I was asked to leave Its name out of social media.  The length of the ride was determined by my friend and I merely agreed with the plan despite the untimeliness of the real route.

Looks like Ohio!

Was it two or four weeks ago that made a phone call.  One of those "Hey I suddenly find myself with a lot of free time and I know you are recently retired and will likely be laid off from your part time gig due to the pandemic, would you like to ride some time soon?"  Positive reply despite being busy but I would receive a call soon.  Flash forward to Wednesday I got the call.  Since I have been almost everywhere I let my friend pick the route.  "The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail."  Kinky, I thought, but probably empty of humans.  "Meet in Ankeny at 9 am.  Bring your touring bike"  Cool.  Not my first choice of a trail for reasons pertaining to the nature of its crushed limestone surface but recent rides on such surfaces have gone well.  And such surfaces really limit the amount of people willing to ride on them.

We met at the FireTrucker trailhead and head to Slater and the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail via the High Trestle Trail.  A nice strong wind keeps us cool.  We stop at the Town & Country Market for Gatorade.  Yes, they have toilet paper in single rolls.  My obsession when visiting a store is to see if they have TP on the shelves.  What I don't finish of the bottle went into the panniers for a later drink.

On the HOINT I find the surface to be decent.  Not the fastest but I have made the right decision on bike and tires.  My default bagged bike, the Verenti with Schwalbe Marathon Supremes 700x35.  Rolls like a dream on pavement and wide enough for soft surfaces.  The only trail issue we have is in Huxely, Iowa, when we rode pasted the "TRAIL CLOSED" sign and judging by the assorted debris on the trail we knew why it was closed.  Funny how the man standing at the corner of that sign said that he has seen a lot of people riding through.  I guess riding until we fall into the Abyss is in the DNA of cyclists.  We like a challenge!

I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this trail today.  You could say that we, this trail and I, have gotten off to a bad start many, perhaps two decades ago.  The surface was too soft and Mary and I rode the wrong bikes on it.  And a few other times it was meh mostly because of recent rain or snow melt.  But today it was perfect.  Maybe I will stop my campaign for the HOINT to be paved and focus on getting the trail completed and linked up especially to Melbourne, Iowa, with subsequent link to Baxter, Iowa.  But today we made our own links.

One last thing about the trail.  The trail was being used by people.  Bikes, runners, people with dogs and children.  The trail was not empty.  Not over crowed by any stretch of the imagination but the closer we were to the main towns the more people we encountered.  This was the busiest I have ever seen The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail.

Since the convenience store in Cambridge, Iowa, was closed we did not stop here.  If the shaker club still existed here it would have been closed because of Covid-19.  So we rolled on to Maxwell, Iowa.  Our stop was at Logsdon Grocery.  This store makes sandwiches and has beverages among other items.  WE each grabbed a store made sandwich in a plastic baggie from a cooler.  Had we known the future we would have purchased two a piece, one now and the other for later, Gatorade as well and consumed them at the city park.  The trail resumes at the soccer fields and we rolled all the way to Collins, Iowa, where the trail ends for now.  Here we paid our respects to Eric Crabb who rests next to his mother and sadly his recently deceased brother, Scott.

Decision time.  Here my friend presented Its true intention, an opportunity so to say.  Instead of turning around we should push on and ride to Melbourne, Iowa, and then take the paved road to Baxter, Iowa, the eastern end of the Chichaqua Nature Trail.  From there we would ride back to Ankeny and our vehicles on trail except the mile or two in Ankeny to FireTrucker Brewery.  I have often looked at the map and thought that this would be an excellent route once the trail is completed.  The only issue is how to get to Melbourne.

Time to pull out the map that I usually carry for just this sort of situation.  Of course, just when the ride is turning into a century ride with a big unknown route, it's no longer there.  OK Google, show us Maps!  What was it, 2 pm on a bright sunny day in a possibly data and service dead area and a 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" screen and my friend's iPhone that's possibly smaller.  At least we had service.  My phone had been on Airplane Mode most of the day to save battery and to silence it from calls, text, Twitter and email noise/distractions.  Take E63 to Rhodes and then find S52 and head south.  Simple plan.  Should have followed it to its fruition.

No cars on E63 and we had a gorgeous tailwind.  Got to Rhodes, Iowa, in big ring and in no time.  Stopped at the trailhead to rest and check phones.  Yes, still had business to conduct.  Check Google Maps again.  S52 is also known as Davidson Rd.  Take that road and we cut off many miles.  I was doing the math in head.  11 miles from Melbourne to Baxter, 20 miles to the Chichaqua Trailhead, 2 or 3 to Bondurant, 5 to Berwick and possibly 5 more to Ankeny and maybe 2 more to FireTrucker.  We were at 61 miles already IIRC.  Looks good, let's do this but when we got there but it was a gravel road so we continued to the first paved road which was also S52.  TAKE IT!!  330 was a few minutes away.  New dilemma.

Had I been given a pre-ride warning about this adventure I would have studied the maps and have taken E63 and the way to 330, crossed and picked up the 330 Trail and rolled into Melbourne proper.  But perhaps my friend was afraid I'd say no like others have in the past at the suggestion of this ride.

The road across the highway was gravel.  We could see Melbourne to the left.  To the right we could see another intersection.  4' shoulder but the speed limit was 65 mph.  We took a left turn on the shoulder to check out the next intersection.  On the way there two cyclists crossed 330.  This must be it!  So we crossed.  Wow, Davidson Rd again, gravel but we saw two bikes.  Straight shot to the trail.  Save some miles what could possible go wrong?

Crossing the highway we discovered our two new cyclists ended up being mere boys.  One was riding a bike that did not have tires!  Ever the optimist I searched for tracks.  None.  Perhaps the adults ducked into the first farmhouse, we were a few minutes behind.  But we crossed the road and had a straight shot to the trail.  Why correct a mistake?  We can do this!!

Apparently, Marshall County received its Stimulus Check.  With that money they decided to purchase new gravel and spread it on S52 and the roads to and fro the cemetery in Collins.   And by new gravel I mean the thick kind that buried every possible decent line.  Tried riding on the shoulder but that was a deep layer of dust laced with rocks.  Tried riding on the grass but that was not much better.  So it was a struggle and by the time we decided that we should have turned around it was too late.  Occasionally we had to walk the bikes up hills.  Downhill was another story.  I tried to keep the weight off the saddle to let the bike handle the blows better, perhaps prevent a broken spoke or bent wheel.  Regretting that I failed to pack a first aide kit and not looking forward to using the last of my water to clean my wounds I let it rip the best I could.  Easy on the brakes yet control the speed.  Faster yet slower.  Somehow we made it to the pavement without busting the bikes or ourselves.  typing this I can still see the dust.

A note about The Chichaqua Valley Nature Trail on this day.  There were more people using this trail than I have witnessed before barring an organized ride.  It was late afternoon on a Thursday.

End of story, right?  Stopped at Mingo, no water at the park, which was closed because of the pandemic, but we did eat the Larabars I had brought.  Miss the old school PowerBars but the L-Bars held up well during the trip. Text or call spouses and give them the 411.  New signs on the trail told the distance to Bondurant proper which kept my mind busy doing the math. Bondurant's Casey's was a two Gatorade and one pizza slice stop for me.  Drank one bottle and filled my empty water bottle with the other.  16 miles left if trail, 10 if road.  After consideration we went with the trail.  An attempt to save 25 minutes could result in epic/catastrophic  failure.  We were tired and beyond the longest ride of the year plus the sun was at Kill Zone Level.  No need unnecessary risks.

What could go wrong now?  We had never ridden this route together before.  We stopped somewhere on the twisty trail southeast of Ankeny to turn on lights and relieve bladders before crossing the interstate.  It (I almost typed my friend's name in) went straight and I, already turned and a few yards away from It, continued on to go under the I-35.  Neither of us saw the other's choice of direction.  We were separated now.  So I go underneath the freeway as I have always done and when I reach Delaware Ave the phone rings and it's my friend asking if I passed It or It passed me.  'I'm at the bridge.  Give me a minute."  So I wait and start thinking 'what bridge?'  Looking north I see my comrade at the other Delaware Ave intersection. Just roll on.  No time to pull the phone out of the jersey pocket and call.  Looking north again I can see my friend riding a parallel route against the backdrop of Ankeny LKQ  and when we reach the right turn I can see the flasher of Its bike but since I am a country block behind I never catch up.

In case you read this, Friend, here is the way through DMACC.

Previously we discussed how to get from the Oralabor Trail to FireTrucker.  "I always cut through DMACC but always get lost" I was told.  Me, I usually turn up State St and turn on Magazine then a left on Cherry BUT that is because when I ride there I take the roads from Des Moines and end up by the Git-n-Go on Irvindale and Oralabor Rd on the west side.  But that seems a bit out of the way.  I see my partner riding through DMACC but I'm on the wrong side of the road.  What the hell, cross at the first controlled intersection and work my way north.  Why did I not take the time to look at Google Maps and see what they told me to do?  So I blundered through and found Cherry and FireTrucker as my buddy was placing the bike on the truck's hitch mount rack.

It was dark now.  Respected text and phone call to the spouses.  Missed the 530 pm deadline by over 3 hours.  But we were 100% sober, no drinking ride, and honestly they should have expected it.  We smiled.  This was a outstanding ride, one of which we had for years stared at the map and wondered if it could be, should be done.  Should have studied the maps better.  Maybe get a strava thingie?  Next time.