Monday, October 28, 2013

The Lower 48

A few weeks ago I went out on a Tuesday and rode my birthday ride. That's 48 miles for 48 years. I decided to go for the end of my absolute favorite trail, The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail. To ensure my mileage would be accurate, I used G-maps Pedometer to back track 24 miles from Rhodes (the Eastern trail head) to a starting point. That left me with a start right on the edge of Huxley, and a super easy access point. It was a great day for a ride, as they all are, and this one did not disappoint. I had never been to Rhodes Iowa until that day. A charming small town, with two bars, a service station, a post office, and a Vietnam-era M48 Tank!!!!! Here are a few images from the day.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

These Go To Eleven!

I don't know why, but I am desperate to own one of these! Imagine the gravel you could destroy on a three wheel gravel crusher! Talk about a frame bag makers delight (AMY.) You could stash bags all over the place on one of these things. And if a person rode, say, until they fell asleep on their bike (Mike!) there would be no problem with falling off. You wouldn't even have to take the rear wheels off to fix a flat or change tires. Now that would be worth the price of admission. Fenders, well they're just cool on a road-type bike, 3 fenders... "Well, it's one louder, isn't it?"
Imagine the power slides. Positrac! Roost! Full Pull! "So much power, the ground's already shakin'!" Later!

Story County Scramble

Tuesday, I broke from tradition, and did a non-gravel ride. At the recommendation of my good friend Terry Grimes I went to Story City and rode the Greenbelt Trail down to Peterson's Pits (gravel pits, does that count as a gravel ride anyways then?) Never having been on the trail I didn't know what to expect, other than the fun and rolling trail that was described to me. Right away I picked up on a tire track that looked really fresh. It looked like an out and back set, as there were two of the same tread, almost on top of each other. I thought that I might run into Paul Varnum out there. He lives at the mid-point of this trail, but I did not see anyone else out there. This trail was a blast to ride since it is almost all flat, but with a few very minor climbs thrown in. Also, the surface ranges from black dirt, to grass, to silty powder, to deep sand. Who ever said that a Mongoose Beast is not a good trail riding bike must have their trail chosen wrong. There are right bikes for certain trail types, and this pairing was a great choice. I could spin out on some parts, and have just enough grunt to ride all but one climb. I'm not too proud to walk a climb! The whole trail is in a shallow river valley, and is dotted with some wooden bridges. Many times I have seen this woodland from the interstate and always wanted to ride it, and the gravel that snakes along side it. Now I can say that I have done just so. I rode gravel all the way back, just to get some balance for the day, and to preserve the reverse ride on the Greenbelt Trail for another time, on another bike. Later!

           Slowly returning to the earth. Nice patina on this, I guess 50+ years in the woods will do that.



          There is a glint of hope for a nice Autumn color show this year. It's underway!

     This lady, Fanny Carr, died on the same day as the date I took this picture, only in 1868.