The Covid Files #4 Rides of Isolation Ishmael on The Cinder Path

Chariton trailhead.

It was the weekend again.  Saturday.  God bless Saturday!  But weekends here especially in nice weather bring out large numbers of trail users.  During the pandemic this is dangerous.  Asymptomatic runners, dog walkers, families and cyclists filling the air with invisible virus infection that everyone who encounter those deadly clouds of exhale breath...  This day we flee the city to social distance ourselves.  Our destination: The Cinder Path.  Chariton to Humeston, Iowa.

This would be our second visit to this trail.  Our first was during the 2016 edition of Ragbrai.  We started at the southern terminus, Humeston back then.  Looked like a great idea at the time.  Leave the 20,000 Ragbrai people behind and cut up north toward home on a trail we never explored before.  Sure, its surface is crushed rock but we have ridden many miles of gravel roads this week.  Besides, loaded touring bikes absorb the bumps.  We got a little over 3 miles before turning off and catching Highway 65.  A beautiful highway with 4' wide paved shoulder and on that day a trail wind!  It felt like the bikes were turbo charged.  Our problem with The Cinder Path was that most trail maintenance is done with a lawnmower.  Grass surface.  Rail ties had not been removed and some holes in them were visible.  All this reduced our speed to 5 mph.  The real issue was that we were on the wrong bicycles.  This was fatbike or MTB territory.  Once on the pavement we never looked back.  That adventure and my thoughts on the trail can be found Ragbrai-2016  But to be fair, we only rode the last 3 miles of the trail on overloaded touring bikes.

The Cinder Path

This is the first rails-to-trails conversion in the state of Iowa.  The trail was the former BC&Q rail road line built in 1872 that ran from Chariton, Iowa, to St Joseph, Missouri, and abandoned in 1974 and purchased by Lucas County Conservation Board the trail is about 16 miles long.  Mile markers are posted every .5 mile.  Our Cateye Velo 9 computer was suggesting that the signs were off a little bit on the short side.  Sources have varying mileage for the trail, anywhere for 13 to 16.  The surface is cinders and crushed limestone.  The name comes from the original surface material, cinders.  The trail is very beautiful and scenic.  There are 16 wooden bridges and a covered bridge as the trail flirts with the Chariton River and various creeks and such.  A 20' lookout tower exists or existed but we never saw it.

Our Second Time On The Cinder Path: Hit The North!

Bridge Challenge accepted.  

At Chariton.  This is the safest bridge.  A few have railings that are only knee high.  One lacked railings altogether.

As noted earlier, it is Saturday and a nice Saturday so a big day on metro trails and parks.  For some reason this trail comes to mind.  It cannot possibly be busy, can it?  Too far away from Des Moines.  I have never heard anyone talk about this trail unless I brought it up.  The consensus of those few conversations is that the Chariton end of the trail is good.  Load the tandem up inside the Honda CR-V and drive down Highway 65/69 and take a left at Highway 34.  Mostly a wonderful drive through Warren County.  We love Warren County.  Spent a lot of time back in the 1990s bicycling these empty paved roads.

The trailhead in Chariton is noted by a sign on 34.  Veer left and there it is.  Empty.  Assemble the tandem and take off.  It begins with a wooden bridge and signs telling us to dismount and walk the bike over.  Uneven surface.  Challenge accepted!  This bridge was the best bridge in terms of condition and design of the 16 we crossed.  We ride over every bridge.

The surface is good.  A bit soft from recent rain and snow.  To correct our mistake from 2016 we ride our practically empty touring tandem sans front bags and with MTB tires at a lower pressure.  The same bike we rode for the Rolling Prairie Trail.  Carried only the essentials: tire repair and the jackets, gloves, headbands that we took off.  Keep it light.  Food would be obtained in Humeston at a Casey's.  No quarter in Derby, Iowa, but Humeston would be another 4 or 5 miles.  4 Larabars and three water bottles.  The tandem rolled quite nicely.

One of the coolest shelters in Iowa.

Walk the plank!!

I just love Iowa green in the morning sun during Spring.

First impression: What a beautiful trail!  Hidden and forgotten gem it is!  Local treasure!!  Surface be damned!  Something about the morning sun making the green flora so pretty.  We really like to hit this in the autumn.  Stunning.  Creeks and the Chariton River flowing just off the trail.  Benches and shelters for the first miles.  Our favorite is a shelter that is only accessible via a wooden  timber.  And then a covered bridge just around 6 or 7 miles into it.  After that bridge benches and shelters become scarce.

Over the Chariton River.  Signs posted at the intersections before and after this bridge stating that the bridge is closed.  Yes, it needs work and probably is not structurally safe and once again we accepted the challenge and risk.

Mary looking out the missing panel section.

The view of the river from inside the covered bridge.

All Lost After Derby

Once again I lost all sense of direction as we entered Derby 2 or 3 miles past the covered bridge.  My failure from inadequately studying the map.  The trail is generally a north to south trail but enters this town from the east.  Once in the city the trail disappears near the intersection of Stacy and Front Street.  Thinking that we were heading south I took a right and then a left on Front and headed to Highway 65.  From what I recalled from the map, the trail intersects 65 therefore by taking the highway we would intercept the trail.. Good in theory but I took another right and headed north.  After a mile and half we stopped to consult the map.  I was noon so the sun's position was of no use.  We entered "data roaming" Iowa so Google Maps were useless.  Perhaps the fact we were heading into the wind should have been a sign.  The wind was strong from the north today.  Perhaps the sign that read Princeton, MO, going the other way should have been the clue but I dismissed that.  OK retrace the steps.  Pay for the same real estate twice.  Soon enough we see a "bike crossing" sign on 420 St.  There's the trail.  3 mile mistake.  On the way back Mary noted that we should have turned left on 150th St inside Derby.

The Grassy Path

Just south of Derby, or east.  Trail quality dives...

The Last shelter.  This gem we missed in 2016, not that our team would have wanted to stop as we just refueled in Humeston and were wanting on a better surface.

The last mile or two was beautiful albeit a bit grassy.

Photo credit Mary.

Trail conditions take a dive after Derby.  The surfaces makes a transformation to a grass path.  By the time it reaches Humeston it is almost golf course quality.  Mostly between the two towns it is "the rough."  Two miles or so from Derby a shelter emerges.  It looks to be an original from 1975 and had been ignored for decades.  Yet there is a table and an opportunity to rest.  By now we have been riding in granny up front.  Had our Stimulus check been twice as large I would have suggested to Mary that we need a fatbike tandem.  But we had about 3 miles left and the surface would improve to a nicer lawn quality.  Perhaps we should have lowered the air pressure of our tires or had used 26x2.5 tires but we did not.  My arms were getting abused and our speed was nil.  The trail was beautiful and we had the option of rocketing up Highway 65 back to Derby.  Relief was soon in sight as we reached the trailhead.

The backwards sign.

CDC approved activity!

I have never seen this style on a trail before.

The Humeston trailhead is marked by a large structure holding a sign that read 'CINDER PATH."  That sign was backwards and a review of a 2016 photo shows it in the proper orientation.  Another sign indicates that the trail is 5 miles long, Lucas County section is 3.5 miles, and is funded in part from the CDC.  I guess we were following CDC guidelines.  Also of note is an ancient REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) sign.

I captured the Iowa flag in this.  What great fortune!

Visible from here is the restored rail depot and a wooden water tower, the last one in Iowa.  Also a campground and a M-60 Patton tank.  Ride to the tank and turn left on Front St (notice that a lot of the towns down here have Front Street as a main drag) and a Casey's General Store is off to the right.  Hoping to score a slice of pizza and Gatorade here we discovered that they had toilet paper and hand sanitizer, both the gel form and the Foundry's liquid style.  No one gave us grief for being outsiders possibly spreading the covid virus.  4 minute wait on pizza so we opted for Little Debbie triple stacked oatmeal pies as lunch.  That was the right thing to do as we noticed people were sitting in their vehicles waiting for pizza.  Casey's pizza is a big treat for small town folk even more so when all the local restaurants are closed because of the pandemic.  I'm willing to bet that no one in any of the small towns we have ridden through has had the dreaded illness.  Plenty of pizza in Des Moines.

The Ride Back

Front St is actually highway 65 so we stayed on it.  Mary had been counting cars and trucks on the way down, a good stoker duty, when the highway paralleled the trail and said roll for it.  We could ride over twice as fast into a strong headwind than we could on the trail from Humeston to Derby.  6 miles anyway with 4' shoulder.  Turning onto the trail at 420 St we completed the section of trail we missed earlier.  Unfortunately, this bit required us to lift the bike over fallen trees.  Here we encountered the first trail user. An elderly man apparently mushroom hunting.

On the way down we did not encounter a single soul.  Now we were seeing trail users.  From the highway we saw a person walking and later a van full of people stopped at a trail intersection.  I think a kid had to get out a relieve a bladder.  Leaving Derby we saw two girls walking to Derby while adjusting their iPods or phones music selection.

After passing the covered bridge we came across a family of four.  Two boys on BMX bikes and their mother and father.  Later two families walking together with lots of children.  3 young men on MTBs heading south and probably a family or two until we reached the end.  Nice to see this trail being appreciated and used by locals.  My son's GF's family lives outside Chariton and he and Kayla have often walked the trail.

A stack of rail ties.  We saw a few of these withing 5 miles of Chariton.

It was on the way back that we noticed the lack of rail road remnants on the trail.  I recall one whistle crossing sign.  At the end there is a rail road crossing sign but I am not sure how genuine it is.  Occasional discarded rail structures can be found on the side of the trail.  Piles of rail ties stacked up neatly near Chariton are also present.  But compare to many rail-to-trails we have ridden this is is not much.  Perhaps the ever present water on the sides of the trail is the reason.

Battle Damage

Look at the magnet.  First time I have ever seen a magnet holding a piece of broken spoke.

We did not get away without a problem.  Minor issues of being tired and dusty.  Right arm hurting from keeping the bike upright on the rough miles.  Legs sore, too.  But this problem only revealed itself after we made it home.  When I reassembled the bike to put it away until the next outing, I noted a piece of metal on the computer magnet.  Strange.  Closer inspection revealed that the object was the hub end of a spoke.  Further inspection discovered that it came from a spoke on the front wheel.  Bummer.  Now how did that happen.  Most likely it was not the rough section south of Derby.  Within the first five miles or so there was a fresh line of white limestone spanning the width of the trail.  On the way down I just stared at it wondering why it was there and then Wham! we hit it.  It was used to fill a hole across the trail.  Note to self:  Avoid this bad bump.  And as luck would have it I spotted the same patch in the trail on the way back.  Weird, this does not match the trail surface WHAM!  Crap that bump AGAIN!  Note to self: if the trail section changes color in a thin section of trail use caution...

Will We Return

Yes.  We conquered this trail.  Knocked down that brick wall.  I don't know about south of Derby unless on a fatty.  We think an autumn excursion would be wonderful from the Chariton end.  Of course a Spring will likely be scheduled.  Getting a motel room in Chariton is a option if libations are involved.

The back of the trail monument.  Nice to put a name and a face to someone that worked/works to keep these trails in good condition.

The Covid Files #3 Rides of Isolation New Tent Day

Without the wing.  Total ventilation!

To pass my time in self isolation/lockdown/lockup/quarantine/shelter in place I think about the future.  Can't keep me inside forever, can they?  "And even on the darkest night we could reach for the light and we could get it right." Bicycle touring season has begun although not recommended.  With all the money I am saving from not getting my haircut or going out to eat or going to bars, coffee shops, record stores ect, why not get new kit?

Why a tent?  3 reasons:

1.  Shelter in rain
2.  Shelter from insects
3.  Some modicum of privacy

Most of the time I pack one for insurance.  Easier to throw the Thermorest on a picnic table under a shelter and call it good.  In the past few years we have been staying in more and more motel rooms but now realizing how much money we are spending for that.  We have the opportunity to sleep inside schools during our South Dakota adventures but prefer to sleep outside in a tent v in a gymnasium full of bicyclists. I also like something solid in the front right pannier to play full contact touring bike if you know what I'm saying.

My other tent requirements

1.  No special unique poles that can/will/do break leaving one SOL
2.  Ability for one person to quickly assemble
3.  Ability for that one person to assemble at night and/or drunk
4.  Compact size for storage in the panniers of a loaded touring bicycle

After a decade of using the Missing Link from MSR for both self contained hiking adventures and bicycle touring I pulled the trigger and purchased a new tent.  Nothing wrong with the Missing Link,  I have two of them, but find that they take up a bit more space in the panniers than I care for and are a bit lacking in the ventilation department.

Bad Lands National Park, South Dakota, 2013.

Somewhere in South Dakota during the Faces To Falls ride, RASDaK (Ride Across South Dakota)2013.

Union Grove State Park, Iowa, 2014.

The only time we had both ML in action at the same time.  Perry, Iowa, during Ragbrai, 2013.

The Missing Link weighs 3 lbs and uses hiking sticks instead of tent poles.  I have witnessed more tents hit the dumpster or buried in the garage because of broken poles.  The ML, only needs  two 54 cm sticks of a strong material that are easy to carry.  Hence hiking/walking sticks.  Once, Mary and I got over 40 miles into a 4 day bicycle tour when I discovered the hiking sticks were left at home.  We stopped at a local store.  I wanted to use hockey sticks but Mary found cheap $12 hiking sticks.  As for stowage, the tent fits in one pannier along with a Thermorest and a sleeping bag and a few other items.  Despite its relatively small size it seems to take up a lot of room.  Great reviews of this tent can be found here.  

My personal experience.  Got mine used (barely) in 2009.  2 week backpacking adventure in the Rookies at the Philmont Scout Ranch, itinerary 32 IIRC.  Rain hard a few times.  Never had an issue.  After that it became my main tent.  Used it for bicycle touring a few times a year every year since then and whenever I went camping.  Got an offer on a second one and acquired that one just because.  Some reviewers complain about the stickiness but I find that it is only sticky when it is first assembled but once it has been up for a while the stickiness disappears.  Lastly, no special folding required, just stuff it into its sack.

The MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 3 Trekking Pole Shelter is my replacement for the Missing Link.  Basically a high tech pup tent.  The entire tent is mesh except for the floor and back end.  Maximum airflow!  To cover it I purchased the Thru-hiker 100 Wing.  The wing, rain fly, can be configured in many ways to protect the tent and the gear of the user.  It too is very light and compacts quite small.  Together they weigh  2lbs saving me 1 lb and precious cargo space.  To be even more minimalist I could just use the Wing only.

Still in the box.  Normal size vodka bottle for perspective.

The contents exposed.  The smaller bag contains the wing/rain fly.

The Missing Link in the Thru-Hiker box.  Need a bigger box!

Both tents in the box.  Note: The ML does not use a wing or rain fly.

With the wing on.

Please note that I did not read the instructions before placing the wing on.  Later I did and the tent looked a lot better than this.

Now I need to wait for the Covid-19 All Clear for a great new adventure.

Stay safe.  REMAIN INDOORS.  Practice safe Social Distancing!

The Covid Files #1 Rides of Isolation Heart Of Iowa trail

I have started a series of riding reports to document my social isolation on empty bicycle trails and rides throughout Iowa.  I did not possess the luxury or chains of working from home.  I am forced to go on vacation, made redundant, laid off, furloughed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  But I have a lot of sick days and PTO that I can burn and of yesterday, Mach 30, 2020, the ability to file for unemployment.  So if this time is on my dime I will make the most of it.

Generally I ride with my wife to her work and then continue to crank out 20 miles in the pre-dawn hours.  Dark empty solitude in total isolation on trails.  But today's featured ride was a reconnaissance of a ride I am planning in honor of a friend who passed away 7 months ago.  I took Joe, my eldest son, with me who was furloughed from work as well.  This ride disturbed his self isolation of sitting in front of a screen playing with his Xbox online.  It was a zero to 45 mile wake up.  He does occasionally ride the half hour to work.  But not now nor when it is cold.  I gave him a choice, easy or adventure, knowing that there was a disparity between our levels of fitness.  He chose the adventure.  Not the first time...

Drove to Berwick to check out the roads and drove to the start of the ride in Elkhart, Iowa.  Landed the Honda at the city park.  Eric Crabb and I once rode from Altoona to Elkhart and drank at the bar.  Appears to be two bars there now and a Dr Pepper machine selling cans of soda for 75 cents.  We then sent out on a cloudy chilly day with a north wind making itself known.  Joe benefited from his mother leaving a pair of gloves in the vehicle.  The promise of a warm day once again appeared to be empty.

No vino for me!

We took NE 46th St out of Elkhart.  Some rolling hills but nothing that would kill anyone.  At the end of the road we turned left on NE 150th Ave and stopped at the winery in White Oak, White Oak Cellar.  Mary and I rode here once from Bondurant.  The note on the door said that it would open at 3 pm and if we desired to make a purchase "call first."  I did think that on the way back I would call and ask for a red and slip a $20 under the door.  "Do you take PayPal?"  Roll on, nothing here now.

I had to stop and read the sign.  Jefferson Highway.

We were still on the Jefferson Highway Heritage Byway Loop of the Iowa Byways. Never heard of it?  Neither have I.  This route goes from Alexandria, LA to Beminji, MN  In Iowa,  Lamoni to Mason City.  Jefferson Highway

Heading north our next stop would be in Cambridge, Iowa, most noted in our cycling community as being part of the Century Loop on Ragbrai and the strip club that was there when the cyclists rolled through.  Now it is a town on the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail.  In town we sadly discovered that the convenience store was closed.  This may have happened a few years ago.  I rarely ride this trail because the surface is too soft for most of my bicycles.  Joe and once rode fatbikes on this trail.  Mary and I have been on this one twice.  Once wet and once when it was 110*F.  Surface was better when it was too hot around the time of Ragbrai.  One of these days...  However, the future looks bright, The Master-Plan-.  I know I know I know, gravel junkies and fatbikers need a place to ride, too.  Joe and I elected to take the paved county roads from Cambridge to Maxwell.

Ever lose your sense of direction?  We took county road E63 out of town.  After what seemed like forever we reached S14.  OK time to turn.  But the sign said "Nevada 8 Miles."  What?  Confusion and a total loss of sense of direction.  No sun yet.  I swear we were facing south.  Nope east.  Look at the sign behind us to determine what road we were on and pull out the paper map.  Turn right to go to Maxwell Joe said.  He was right.

The bridge west of Maxwell, Iowa.

The trail intersected S14 so we decided to give a chance.  Soft yet acceptable.  Speed dropped but it was great to be on a trail.  We stopped on the bridge just before town and ate  Labars and drank a beer.  Need to reduce weight.  The sun came out briefly and we could feel the warmth.  A red SUV pulled up and the driver pulled out a MTB for a ride on the trail.  Maxwell is larger than Cambridge.  It has a Dollar General, we joked that we should stop there to see if they had toilet paper, and a Casey's.  We bought pizza slices and water at the convenience store as well as three bottles of Fireball for later.

Highway 210 has a decent paved shoulder without rumble strips.  Since we had a late start and we could ride twice as fast on a paved surface we opted for the highway.  Empty highway.  Our destination was the cemetery in Collins, Iowa, to pay our respects to Eric Crabb.  The cemetery was visible from the intersection of 210 and the road into Collins so we headed east on a gravel road instead of going into the town.

Joe 

Found Eric's resting place, said a few words and dumped a bottle of what killed him on the spot.  This poison was his favorite.  I looked to the sky to ask if he would let known his thoughts about the Great Covid-19 Pandemic and when I looked down I saw a corn cob by the headstone.  So appropriate.  He would have had a field day with the toilet paper shortage!  I could not help but laugh
.

Highway 210 and a bottle of rum.  Raise the deposit on bottles to $20 and we could provide free healthcare for all or reduce alcoholism.

A friend saw this photo and thought a 4 wheeler was at the bottom!

It was getting late.  The wind and the trail surface took a lot of time.  Now we had the wind to our backs.  210 was our choice.  Let'er rip!!!  210 all the way to Cambridge and the left turn to White Oak...tailwind.  A few good views such as the derelict Skelly oil/fuel tank and the distant fire.  Traffic was light.  We did notice that most trucks were red for Iowa State University and few were black with Hawkeye stickers for the University of Iowa.  Since we were in Cyclone territory most of them were red.

In between Cambridge and White Oak a house displayed a wooden Cessna airplane as a yard decoration.  It was been out in the elements for decades judging by how weathered it is.  Still something cool to look at.  The rest of the ride was uneventful.

45 miles.  The road out of Cambridge add miles on the way to Collins.  We had 20 miles for the return trip.  Hard to judge traffic.  Could the covid be making traffic lighter here?  Was it because it was the middle of the day?  Would football Saturday make 210 really really busy?

The Crabb Ride.  Eric always talked about a bike ride to the Haverhill Social Club.  I would like to make this a reality.   Riding from Des Moines for the Crabb Ride taking the Gay Lea Wilson/Four Mile Creek Trail to Berwick, Iowa, would increase the mileage to at least 30 each way.  Way too long for a social ride.  The Haverhill Social Club would be another 20 miles from Collins.  Looking like a solitary pilgrimage or an overnighter.  Maybe a ride from Des Moines to Elkhart since it was an old haunt of his.

The Covid Files #2 Rides of Isolation The Rolling Prairie Trail

At a rest stop on the way home.  No way I would ride this on across the Rolling Prairie Trail.

I have started a series of riding reports to document my social isolation of empty bicycle trails and rides throughout Iowa.  I did not possess the luxury or chains of working from home.  I am forced to go on vacation, made redundant, laid off, furloughed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  But I have a lot of sick days and PTO that I can burn and of yesterday, Mach 30, 2020, the ability to file for unemployment.  So if this time is on my dime I will make the most of it.

The second great Covid Files Rides of Isolation took us to the Rolling Prairie Trail way north of Ames but south of Mason city.  Mary has Mondays off so she accompanied me as the stoker on our touring tandem.  This trail has been part of discussion among our cycling team, Mary's Heroes, since 2018.  I believe Donnie discovered it while on a business call in Hampton.  Looking at the map it seems like a wonderful long trail of significant distance with the possibility of touring/camping/exploring for a day or two.  No plans were ever made, just a trail on the back burner of our minds as perhaps a route for a longer tour or alternative Ragbrai.  Then The Event hit and I found myself with a lot of free time.

WELL, HOW DO I GET THERE?

Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy.  Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief during WWII.  He spent D-Day in Hampton, Iowa, his hometown, as a diversionary tactic to make the Germans feel safe.  He was also against the use of the atomic bomb.  The ship is the USS Leahy named after him.

US Civil War.  13,000 Iowans gave their lives to keep The Union intact.

Contemporary. Trivia: Leahy's father was a US Civil War veteran.

We drove.  90 miles each way.  This became the first test of our Honda CR-V with the tandem.  Bicycles are safest inside the vehicle.  The Honda can easily hold two of our bikes inside the back without taking off the wheels.  Three bikes with front wheels and bags removed which allows for a third passenger to legally sit in comfort with a seat belt fastened.  Now the tandem.  Remove both wheels.  I was able to get inside all by meself!  It would have been easier with our other tandem because the racks, both front and rear increase the size.  BUT knowing that part of this trail was not paved I thought the touring tandem's 26x2.1 offroad tires would be needed.  They were, believe me!

Coulter, Iowa, was the destination.  Located just off I-80 it was an easy drive.  We stopped at the rest stop at Dows, Iowa, then proceeded on the county road C47 east then S25 north into Coulter.  The trail head was on this road and easy to spot.  Ample parking.  Safe parking, too, guess who failed to lock the doors??

The view of the trail from the trailhead. Iconic Iowa scene the elevator next to where the tracks used to be.

The trailhead is marked by a Freedom Rock.  Painted on one side is the image of Hampton native Fleet Admiral William D Leahy.  Other features include a shelter and a statue of an eagle and one of a soldier paying respects to a fallen comrade.

Time to roll!  Crossing the street we encountered a crushed limestone surface.  Due to recent rains and recent snow melt the trail surface was soft.  At the first intersection we stopped to let air out of the tires.  Low pressure wider contact and less sinking in.  We rode on the north side of the trail where there was more exposure to the sun in hopes of a drier firmer surface.

Snow!!!!  Just north of the trail in some brush.  I resisted the urge to make a snowball and through it at Mary.

The terrain is a typical northern Iowa glacier flat marked by farm fields and the occasional road crossing.  The trail itself was built on a former rail line thus a flat journey.  The ditches often had water and the wonderful chorus of frogs waking from their winter hibernation.  Pheasants would often break the silence with their noisy take offs.  Once, three deer jumped from a cover of trees and crossed the trail to run across a barren cornfield.

The 4 Mile Shelter as I call it.  I was standing at a bench, not shown.

Other than stop signs and the occasional caution sign the trail is not marked.  4 miles into it there is a bench and a shelter.  A mile or two later just before the Highway 3 overpass a bench sits on the trail.  Not in the middle but on the trail.  At 7 miles a gazebo and kybo appear on Highway 134.  The highway has a bike lane going to and from Beed's Lake State Park just 1.5 miles north of the trail.  We rode there but did not take the time to fully check things out.  According to locals, a wonderful view of the dam is there.  This state park is one of two on the trail system up here.

Beed's Lake State park.  Camping available.  The road around it was closed until May 1st.

Back to the gazebo we notice that the trail ended.  First thought it was a farmer that refused to sell but further investigation reveals that we were now on the city of Hampton's part of the trail.  Taking the bike lane toward Highway 3 a paved trail appears.  This pavement takes one all the way to the other side of the city and past a Casey's convenience store.  We stopped for a slice of pizza and something to drink.  The special was an energy drink at 25 cents per 16oz can.  We could not refuse.

Yes, that is one of the better trail surfaces.

The next town would be Hansell, Iowa.  The pavement ended outside Hampton and the trail surface was a little rougher than the Coulter to Hampton section.  Not much in Hansell so we rolled on.  The surface got worse and worse.  As Franklin County's conservation website says, "the surface of the trail in this section is more accommodating to mountain bikes and foot traffic." This is a massive understatement.  True, our tandem is a mountain bike and has MTB tires,  I was desiring wider tires or a fatbike tandem the further we ventured east of Hansell.  A section was rail bed rock, the purple stuff, followed by cinders.  At this point we noticed a lack of signage except for the red "AUTHORIZED VEHICLES ONLY" and wondered if this was the not open section of the trail.  One bridge/culvert lacked siding railing.   After the second intersection we saw little sign of improvement so we turned around and headed back.  On the outskirts of Hampton we stopped and chatted with, at a social distance, two locals on bikes.  They said the trail had been open for three years and that we need to see the dam at Beed's lake State Park.

Bargain of the day!  25 cents each!  Probably took a year off our kidneys. 176 mg of caffeine.

One last stop at the gazebo.  The kybo was still locked.  We ate Larabars and drank the 25 cent energy drinks while resting our legs which took a beating east of Hansell.  Once back on the trail we laughed about how soft the trail seemed in the morning.  Now it was welcome.

I have never seen a lock on a porta-potty/kybo/biffy.

I hope they are able to complete the trail.  According to Traillink.com this will become a 80 mile trail system linking up to Oelwein, Iowa.

The Great January 2020 Snow Storm

The Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers have become winter migration destinations for Bald Eagles although a few have built nests in the area.  During my Sunday ride up the Neal Smith Trail I lost count of how many of these large raptors I saw.  Over 40!

Winter was going so well.  Warm and dry.  No snow or ice.  Back in December I stopped dwelling in "lack of riding" depression and started pedaling for miles again.  Since I transferred downtown my 30 mile round trip commute dropped to 5 miles per day.  No more 10,000 mile years.  The last week or so of 2019 I rode two bikes enough to get both of them over 1000 miles for the year.  The more I did this the better I felt.  For 2020 I am planning to ride more per month than I did in 2019.  It started off well.  Then Winter arrived.

The Red Phoenix resting near two logs along the Neal Smith Trail on Sunday January 12, 2020.

The first of several 'Bridge Beers" that I would consume on my winter recon rides.  West-O's CoCo Stout.  11*F with a 30 mph WNW wind.  The Rainbow Bridge.

Mary and I rode to DSM Brew for coffee on Sunday January 12, 2020.  Featured is the Red Fleet, our two functioning bicycles with studded tires and Mary's Vanilla Iced Latte need for Bicycle Ride & Seek FaceBook Challenge.  I had a mere three shots over ice and fill the rest with half and half.

The banks of the Des Moines River near the Botanical Gardens.  A world in white.  This ride was to determine the extent of plowing the City did along the trails.  The trail was clear all the way to within 2 miles of I-80.  Pretty good considering that it snowed on a Friday evening and it is now a Sunday.

January 10th it started shortly before I left work at 130 pm.  Freezing rain.  I had the foresight to ride The Red Phoenix, my winter bike with studded tires.  By the time I got home my clothing and the bicycle were covered with a thick layer of ice.  Then the snow began as I was at my local barber, Gomez barber Shop.  Big giant flakes of snow not dandruff but a pile of grey hair grew on the floor below me.

But I like to ride in the snow so I went on short rides to explore and see how well the city cleared trails.  Saturday I did what I call the Rainbow Bridge Loop, a sometimes 10 mile ride through Gray's Lake and Water Works Park and downtown.  The trails were clear.  However, the bridge itself could have used some ice melt/salt and sand.  The high wind plus snow left a a very slick glaze on the surface especially near the railings of the bridge.  My bike was fine but off of it a lost footing a few times but never fell.  Sunday I managed to get in 18 miles.  This was in response to a question I had about the condition of the Neal Smith Trail.  Saturday night I decided that I needed a few things from Modern Bike before Wednesday.  If I could ride my bicycle there on Monday to pick them up, all the better.  The car would remain put.  But nobody knew the condition of the trail so I had to see for myself.  Since my daughter had to be at work at 530 am on Sunday I decided to drive to the suspicious part of the trail myself, Birdland Dr behind North high School.  Birdland was not clear and when I got to the top of the hill near North i turned the CR-V west to illuminate the trail.  Untouched.  A few hours later I rode my bike to get a better view.  Typical.  The City has always neglected this trail during winter and this was no surprise.  What I found were boot prints and bicycle tracks now harden into ice to make the trail bumpy.  Cratered is the term I use to describe this but there was enough room on the sides to get through smoothly.  I rode all the way to modern Bike to make sure I could get through.  One thing to note was that the sidepath along the Douglas Ave bridge over the river was cleared and salted.  this is the the bridge named after Civil War General Marcellus Crocker.  Modern Bike did not have the stuff in on Monday so the real ride was delayed until Tuesday and I made it a 21 mile day as I added a visit to the rainbow Bridge on the return.  The City did a great job clearing snow from the trails.  But all of that was about to end.

I suppose a fatbike could float through but my bike struggled.  245 pm Friday January 17, 2020, downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

SingleSpeed's Cold Roses sour beer.  Appropriate title.  I recommend this.

Friday was Dooms Day as the weather people predicted a major storm, high winds and a deep freeze to hit Des Moines.  And they were right.  Once again my red bike was the bike of choice although a fatbike may have fared better.  The problem was that the snow began about 930 am and did not let up for several hours and when it did freezing rain replaced it.  Cycling home was very difficult.  Plows could not keep up.  Streets were a mess.  I rode sidewalks mainly since they were clear.  Yes, I am grateful for corporations and their corporation buildings.  These people clear their sidewalks pronto.  Speaking of which, Mary and I cleared our driveway and sidewalk that night when it was 32*F instead of waiting until Saturday when it would be 10*F with 30 mph winds.

I stopped at Hy Vee on the way home Friday for a few items necessary for dinner and a can of beer.  As I was unlocking the bike I heard someone ask me if I wanted to race for $100.  Looking over I saw a man with a 70s vintage Raleigh 10 speed locking his bike up.  We laughed knowing how bad the roads were.  I probably had the advantage of better traction and lower gearing for acceleration but lacked a C Note for the entrance fee.  We wished each other luck.  5th street was fairly well plowed all the way to the Hump and I was able to ride up and over the temporary bridge without having to put a foot down.  Once on the Green Bridge I stopped to drink that can of beer.  SingleSpeed Brewing Cold Rose sour beer.  Very good but a gust of wind knocked it over and much of the contents spilled out.

Saturday.  The shoveling was done the night before so I decided to ride the bike.  Actually, the lack of pancake syrup forced the decision.  I could have drove but did not want to despite the fact that our street had been plowed by 330 am.  I made a 3 mile round trip to the downtown grocery store, Hy Vee, to fetch a bottle of fake maple syrup and a can of beer.  On the return trip I stopped on the Green Bridge, put my back against the wind and drank said beer.  Notice a pattern.  Kalona Brewing Co Start-Up Stout.  7.6% which is fairly strong for a breakfast beer.  It was cold as hell.  the wind was howling at 30 mph from the WNW.  Although the trail by Mullets to Gray's Lake was plowed the night before some parts had drifted snow before the freezing rain added a protective layer over the snow.  It was crunchy.  the exposed parts were a different story.  The wind polished them.  Early on the rear wheel would spin out.  I had to use less pressure on the pedals to prevent this.  On the other side of the river I stepped on one of the clear sections and discovered that was indeed extremely slick.  The only bicycle tracks were my own.  that was it for Saturday riding.  To the store and back.  Time to become one with the couch.  we did take the vehicle out to give my son and his a friend a ride home from work about 330 pm and to get gas.  Winter played a joke on us.  the gas tank flap was frozen shut and required chiseling and prying before it opened.  Lots of Bigfoot wannabe pick up trucks were on the streets.  Our little SUV, despite being tall enough to clear the snow, looked miniature in comparison.

Sunday had me out on the bike twice.  First to Church at -3*F since I was scheduled to be the Lector.  Afterwards I stopped at home, added another layer, a shovel and a beer.  My daughter and her husband Jesse had their Toyota Camry blocked in by their apartment's snow clearing service.  So I decided to give them our spare shovel.  I carried it with my right hand as I pedaled over.  The rear brakes on that bike stick so I don't use them anyway.  After dropping the shovel off it was off to the Green Bridge for a beer.  -1*F now.  Stella's midnight Lager, a most excellent dark beer that sadly is a seasonal promotion.

The second ride of the day was with Mary.  We met Cynthia downtown and hit 3 of our favorite pubs for a chance to get out of our homes and prevent ourselves from becoming stir crazy.  Fun night.  All of us had the next day off as it was Martin Luther King Day.  I wonder if he ever experienced the temperature dropping below 0*F?

Then the warm up.  The wind calmed down and the temps hovered at freezing or barely above freezing but it felt great.  We could go outside with dressing up like astronauts.  Ice was no longer an issue.  Once again a storm hit on Friday but I was able to shovel without wearing a coat.  Somehow I feel like the worst is over, the worst, of course means temperatures far below zero.  Spring is inching its way every moment.  Ragbrai route was announced and BRR is next weekend.  Just another month or so and I can park the red bike until next season.

POST SCRIPT:BRR

The relative warm weather lasted through the first weekend of February.  That weekend in the Iowa cycling community is known as BRR Weekend.  The Bicycle Ride to Rippey has been held the first Saturday of February for the past 43 years regardless of weather.  it is a 24 mile ride from Perry, Iowa, to Rippey, Iowa. The first BRR I did was in 1992 or 93.  I took a Cannondale road bike.  Since then Mary and I have taken the tandem, MTBs, touring bikes ect.  It is a great day to spend outside with friends.

Joe and I next to my Verenti Substance in Rippey, Iowa.

This year I took my "gravel" bike (heavy roadie) and Mary a hybrid.  We hooked up with our team, Mary's Heroes (Donnie, Joe and Nick) and rode the 24 miles as fast as we could.  I don't know why.  We did stop 6 miles into it for a beer and at Rippey for food and beer and to visit Colin, DJ Chop Shop, who was providing music.

Sometimes we skip Rippey and ride to Bouton, Iowa, but the gravel road promised to be a quagmire of mud in the 45*F sunny weather.  But I did not want to stop at a car wash on the way home and put two really wet bikes in back of the CR-V.

On the way back ti Perry we saw all our rowdy friends ride to Rippey.  How I felt like turning around and spending time with them.  But that would have been bad.  Darkness and drink.  Been there, done that.  As it was we got home with the last rays of sunlight bathing Des Moines and memories of a fantastic day.

January is over.  February is short.  Green grass by St Patrick's Day???

Rainbow Bridge Loop On A Snow Day

11*F with a powerful wind blasting from the North at 20 to 30 mph and there's 4" of fresh overnight snow.  Got up at 430 am to shovel and prep the CR-V to chauffeur my daughter to her 530 am gig.  Pot of coffee consumed.  Morning pills swallowed.  Time to play!  I'm itching to ride the Winter Bike in this frozen wasteland.  Sure, driving was fun but any fool with skills and a adapt vehicle can drive in snow.  Bicycling, that's a different game.  Been a long time since I rock & rolled!  Been a warm and snowless winter until now.

I think I rolled out about 8 or 9 am.  The roads were plowed.  I recall seeing the yellow flashing lights at 230 am when I took the dog out.  The trails were clear too.  Excellent job by the City of Des Moines and their workers.

I left my home and headed to the trail at Mullets.  The City cleared the snow off this trail already.  Took the Green Bridge, it had been cleared of snow, and headed to Hy Vee.  Needed coffee beans and a beer.  A red construction truck was idling at the hump at the north end of the Green Bridge.  The driver looked at me in disbelief as I crossed the temporary bridge built over the pipe that lays there waiting for the trench to be prepped for its burial.  But studded tires  gripped that surface and propelled me past him as if it was a summer day.

Hy Vee was not busy.  I rolled up after a homeless dude parked his 90's Trek 720 pulling a trailer full of possessions including a large black mat that I assume he uses to protect himself from the snow on the ground.  God bless him.  I hope he finds his way out to a better life.

Back on the road I head to the plowed MLK Trail and encounter runners.  They don't let the snow, cold and ice slow them down.  My turn is on 11th St into what is becoming Gray's Lake Station development.  lots of construction and they are working today.  I see some workers and shout "QUE HORA ES?"  They look at me and I answer my own question, "CERVEZA!!"  The Spanish speakers smile and laugh.  But for me it is almost time for a beer.

Now the asphalt path from 11th to the concrete trail was not clear but the concrete trail was and it was clear all the way to the rainbow Bridge and Gray's Lake proper and the trail to Mullets/Water Works.  The empty spaces of this area offered no protection from the wind.  This could be an issue until all the development is complete.  On the other hand, these are the salad days on this trail network.  It has not been discovered en mass.  Once everything is in place and populated I see this being a popular trail.  It is curvy and narrow.

I noticed two bald eagles in flight soaring on the air currents looking for food.  Majestic sight!  Only one eagle was near the nest at the lake.  I bet there 40 of them along the Des Moines River from SE 6th to Cownie Soccer Complex, a privilege for trail users to behold but not promoted as the one nest at the lake.

As I approached the bridge a car pulled up and a driver got out and headed into the woods between the new development and the river by Fleur.  Food and goods for the homeless camp.  A propane cylinder sat by the bridge.  Not for grill me thinks but for heating.

The Rainbow Bridge had been plowed by the time I got there.  Salt and sand, however, were missing.  Normally on trails this is not big deal if they get the snow cleared off before trail users start smashing snow into ice.  But on the bridge with the strong wind drifting snow coated the bridge with black ice.  This is very noticeable by the railings.  Very slick. 

I parked the bike and watched my footing as I cracked open a delicious can of West-O's CoCo Stout.  Chocolate stout on a winter's day.  I wanted to get a beer named after a dog since Rainbow Bridge is a euphemism for the death of a beloved pet but I did not see one before the West-O caught my eye.  About that time the bridge began to shake.  I thought it might have been from the wind but it was just a large man crossing to the north.  Never noticed this before.  I apologized for lacking a beer to offer.  He laughed and continued north.

One and done.  Phone died quickly in the cold and from use.  At the south bridge landing there was salt.  The lake trail was clear and my ride home was easy because the wind was not in my face.  Only a few trail users out.  Did I mention it was very cold and windy?  But people need to be able to use the trails for recreation and exercise and the occasional bridge beer as an open act of defiance against the winter. 

After I got home we made and ate breakfast.  Then sat on the couch watching TV.  I image before television many many years ago since the beginning of humanity living in the Ice Age, once the chores were done and food gathered I'd be sitting on fur rugs staring a fire inside my home waiting for Spring or the need to venture outside into the cold for sustenance.  Is the TV the modern fire pit of the modern cave dwelling?  The leather couch my fur rug on the ground.  My dog at my feet the recently domesticated wolf pup?  And the homeless dude with the Trek, all the homeless Iowans living in the woods, his long door mat his fur rug?  Have things really changed?