Category Archives: bike trails

October 14, 2013 · 1:59 pm

There is a detour to get around the closed section of the Neal Smith trail in DSM

We weren’t exactly sure where the closed section of the Neal Smith Trail was, so when we arrived on the trail yesterday – a gorgeous fall day for a bike ride – at the Sycamore Access Trailhead just north of Interstate 80 on NW66th in Johnston and found a big barrier and closed for construction sign, we were bummed. But a man with a strong German accent peddled up and told us how to get around the closed segment, giving us classic Iowa instructions: continue east to the Casey’s (a gas station), turn right, ride for awhile til you get to a short bridge over the Interstate, then take the first right, go past two white farmhouses and you’ll see a black pickup parked next to the trail entrance.

Sure nuf’!

We peddled east on NW 66th, turned right on what my map suggests is NW26th, through a strange no man’s flatland of fields and sandpits and the occasional old house, across a short bridge with battered pavement over I-80 and took the first right at the old white farmhouse (on a street that is NOT on my map) and voila – the trail. OPEN!

Funny that we got this information from a visitor to Des Moines. He spent his first 30 years in Munich but now lives in Wisconsin and was rendezvousing in Des Moines for a bike trip with his brother, who lives in Omaha – and also has an equally strong German accident….He peddled up soon after we started talking. Good to see out-of-staters enjoying Iowa’s trails – they had rode the day before on the High Trestle Trail, the one with the stupendous bridge.)

Just fyi: This from the DNR: A portion of the Neal Smith Biking and Hiking Trail will be closed for repair beginning Aug. 21. The trail will be closed from the Sycamore access to Morningstar Drive in Polk County, a distance of about three miles. Trail repair is expected to be completed in late October, depending on weather conditions.

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September 23, 2013 · 7:23 pm

Good times/little sleep at Lake Red Rock’s Wallashuck Campground in Iowa

Wallashuck campgrounds, Lake Red Rock, Iowa. Pitching our tent.

Wallashuck campgrounds, Lake Red Rock, Iowa. Pitching our tent.

Friends talked us into camping with them last Saturday at Lake Red Rock, outside the pretty Dutch Iowa town of Pella, and we’re glad they did. It was gorgeous there and perfect weather. My only issue was sleeping in a tent – which I haven’t done in several years, for good reason I learned. Even though we brought padding, my bum back couldn’t get acclimated to the still-hard ground beneath my sleeping bag. I finally gave up at about 4 a.m. and sat in a lawn chair outside our tent, wrapped in my sleeping bag, reading a magazine with a flashlight under a full moon and waiting for dawn which, when it arrived, was very welcome. I walked down to the late through a clearing in the woods and found the lake  lovely – still, very pale blue with mist rising, only me and the geese paddling and crying out.

Eating half - yes, just half - of a Goldie's Pork Tenderloin sandwich

Eating half – yes, just half – of a Goldie’s Pork Tenderloin sandwich

We stayed at Wallashuck campground which was smaller than some of the others and nice and quiet and shaded, with easy access to a bike trail riding the lake which we rode in both directions, including to the city of Pella where we just missed getting the city’s famed fresh bologna at one of two markets in town (both closed at 4) – the only other place I look forward to bologna is in the western Kansas town of Lucas. But we  did get some good sweets at one of Pella’s Dutch bakeries! (coconut and date macaroons at Jaarsma Bakery. We’re not Dutch Letter fans, an S-shaped flakey pastry filled with almond pastry, which is their real claim to fame). En route to Pella, we passed a cute b&b, The Cheesemakers Inn which I gather is run by the same folks that make gouda cheese sold at the Des Moines Farmers market (Frisian Farm.)

On Sunday, we drove to the nearby Neal Smith Prairie Life Center, looking for trails to bike and roaming buffaloes. Didn’t find either. We stopped in Prairie City at Goldie’s and tried one of its famous enormous pork tenderloins, most recently featured in the New York Times (I think we sat next to the same people when we were there!)  NYTimes eats in Iowa  It’s not my thing but I gave it a go – opting for the pork tenders (slightly less caloric because there’s no bun.) Cute place in former brick gas station on the edge of a quintessential small rural town in Iowa.goldiesphoto

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September 8, 2013 · 10:11 pm

The Hub Spot – new stop along Des Moines Riverwalk

Walk & Bike Tour Cover

We stopped at The (new) Hub Spot for a light lunch while riding along the Principal Riverwalk in downtown Des Moines on a hot Sunday afternoon and had a perfect light meal – a very good ham and swiss on a perfectly concocted baguette – and a great view of the river and downtown, including the Latino Fest going on atop a nearby bridge. What a great addition to the ever-improving downtown scene. As further proof of that expansion, we picked up a little free Des Moines Walk & Bike Guide (more excellent work from the Des Moines Bicycle Collective) to downtown at cafe – with walking tours of the city’s public art (including sculpture by Joel Shapiro, Claes Oldenburg, Jun Kaneko)  East Village shops, downtown architecture, Capitol area,  and four biking tours of downtown breweries, historic (and hilly) neighborhoods and “Chuck’s 18-miler” which follows almost exactly our favorite loop from home to downtown and back.

What a great idea!! But the highlight for us came towards the end of our ride along the Neal Smith Trail when we spotted a giant billboard featuring our neighbor and friend Sam! See below…samphoto

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August 20, 2013 · 1:58 pm

The new Raccoon River Valley Trail spur and great tacos!

Fresh tacos in downtown Perry Iowa!

Fresh tacos in downtown Perry Iowa!

We tried out the new spur of central Iowa’s  Raccoon River Valley Trail on Sunday, riding 38 miles round trip from Waukee to Perry through the small towns of Dallas Center and Minburn.  The trail was straight and flat (which explains why we rode so far) and pretty scenic, lined on either side primarily by fertile fields of corn and soybeans. (Perfect for a tutorial from my ag expert husband on how you can tell the difference, visually, between a field of seed corn, the kind grown to produce seeds that are planted to grow corn, vs. commercial corn, the kind grown to feed livestock.)

 

Having small towns to ride through every six miles or so helped keep the scenery from getting too monotonous. In Dallas Center, we spotted a nice b&b on a side street (The Yellow Swan, see photos above) and in Minburn, a little park at the edge of the trail had some cool old farm equipment that we sat in and posed for photos. In Perry, we chanced upon a terrific little Mexican restaurant off the main drag called Taqueria Villa, serving  very fresh, well-seasoned, and delicious tacos (we had the “authentic Mexican” style, trying three kinds –  Roasted Pork, Grilled Steak and Rotisserie Pork). The prices were almost embarrassingly cheap –  a substantial portion of guacamole for $1  – yes $1. What costs $1 anymore? Add chips and it was $3. The tacos were $2 each. The owner took obvious pride in his food and service, which we greatly appreciated. Word has it you can find him and his food at this year’s World Food and Music Festival (part of the World Food Prize festivities) Sept. 20-21 in Des Moines’ East Village  if you can’t make the trek to his little hole-in-the-wall in Perry. We were saddened to see the shuttered Hotel Pattee (hope that changes soon) but impressed by the Raccoon River Valley Bicycle Co., an unusually elegant bike shop in what was once the hotel’s gift shop.

Early 1900's farm equipment in Mindon, Iowa

Early 1900’s farm equipment in Minburn, Iowa

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July 30, 2013 · 5:03 pm

Chicago’s High Line: The Bloomingdale Trail

view of Bloomingdale Trail, looking west at Milwaukee Avenue

CDOT, along with numerous community partners, is building the Bloomingdale Trail and Park– a multi-use linear park that will be the first of its kind in Chicago.

As  a big fan of New York City’s remarkable High Line park, I was pleased to read in the recent Rails to Trails magazine about a similar park under development in Chicago – roughly scheduled  to be useable by fall 2014. Like the High Line, the  2.7 mile Bloomingdale Trail – now under construction – will transform an elevated rail into a recreational trail/park. But there are differences – the Bloomingdale Trail will permit biking (it’s designed to be multi-use); it’s twice the length of the High Line and it runs through four still-bustling urban neighborhoods in northwest Chicago – Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park and Logan Square (the High Line does this in spots, as I recall.) For more details, visit  the “Reframing Ruin” photo exhibit at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (1741 N. Western Avenue) about the Bloomingdale rail – pre-transformation (presumably what the photo above portrays) into a trail. for more details see:  http://bloomingdaletrail.org

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July 25, 2013 · 10:58 pm

Ragbrai withdrawal…

Never saw sunscreen in the gallon size before RAGBRAI.

Never saw sunscreen in the gallon size before RAGBRAI.

Now I understand my long-Ragbrai riding friends who are blue once the big ride is over – and this after I only rode two days. I found myself back in my office at my desk on a pretty summer day, daydreaming about being back on the backroads of Iowa riding my bike. Of course, I also found myself aching more than usual – after riding 100 miles over the course of two days. But not as achy as expected. I am enjoying reading the NPR (No Pie Refused) reporters blog about RAGBRAI http://returntoiowa.tumblr.com/ they did a good job of documenting some of the highlights I saw on Tuesday and Wednesday including the photo above (from today…)/ Particularly enjoyed their “pie” chart documenting what types of pies they’ve eaten, by percentages. (Now I know why I couldn’t find any strawberry-rhubarb pie in Monroe yesterday – I had to settle for plain old rhubarb. Still good.)

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July 25, 2013 · 1:24 am

RAGBRAI – Des Moines to Knoxville (about 50 miles)

Classic Ragbrai photo by my friend Gary Fandel (a professional photographer and it shows)

Classic Ragbrai photo by my friend Gary Fandel (a professional photographer and it shows)

Another perfect day of bike riding weather and another great RAGBRAI ride, this time from Des Moines south and west to Knoxville, passing through some lovely countryside and several welcoming small towns including Runnells (where we were greeted by the local high school’s boisterous, enthusiastic and totally endearing Pep Band) and Monroe (where riders could don firefighter gear and shoot water hoses at a bucket or some such dangling from a line – sounds strange but people stood in a long line to give it a go.)

It was exhilarating to ride out of downtown Des Moines today at 7:30 a.m. with the sun still rising and the air almost crisp and the light magical. We quickly got a taste of what we had in store for the day – with a steep uphill by the golden-domed Iowa State Capital building – and it was way cool to have the route go right through the Iowa State Fairgrounds. As we were riding up the midway in a seat of bikes, I heard one person say “What is this place?” So I put on my Iowa tour guide hat and pointed out various highlights of the famed fairgrounds.

The route was very hilly – up and down and up and down the hills we went. I gradually got more comfortable with soaring down the hill but it was often tricky because there were so many riders. I did see one scary accident which appeared to be a collision between two riders and saw one rider down but she was talking to the people helping her. There were ambulances stationed for precautionary reasons along the route – and we heard some with their sirens activated on occasion.

In Runnells, I ended up joining a flash mob that I happened into – locals and riders all doing a funny dance routine in the street. It was so much fun! I also bumped into even more friends and neighbors today along the route, which is always a kick. By the end of the day, I was very weary but wished I could keep riding tomorrow. Maybe I’ll try to do more next year. Such a great experience.

Last night, Des Moines hosted a fantastic party downtown on a perfect clear, not too hot or cold night – with bands, food, thousands of people all gathered along the river. It was Iowa at its very best!

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July 23, 2013 · 10:49 pm

2013ragbraiphotoWhat a perfect day for RAGBRAI! My friend Anne and I joined an estimated 30,000 riders (yes 30,000 riders) cycling from Perry, Iowa to Des Moines, a relatively easy 50 mile ride with suddenly perfect cool weather. It was glorious.  Never had 50 miles go by so fast on a bike.  Beautiful Iowa scenery – endless cornfields, bucolic farms, welcoming small towns. Saw lots of old friends and neighbors and even exchanged hellos with Iowa’s governor who was on the ride. Met people from all over the country/world. Ate with abandon – pancakes in Minburn, a hotdog, corn on the cob and Bauder’s peach ice cream in Van Meter, a fantastic Thai pork wrap by the great WDM restaurant Baru 66 at the party in Valley Junction. Now, after a shower at home, we’re off to downtown DSM for the festivities.

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July 22, 2013 · 2:43 pm

NPR reporters ride RAGBRAI and my last minute bike repair!

naylorb:</p> <p>Some Aloha spirit in Iowa.<br />

naylorb:

Some Aloha spirit in Iowa.

Join 3 NPR reporters as they explore the Iowa they didn’t see on the presidential trail.

Don Gonyea, Scott Horsley and Brian Naylor will tour the state by bike this time around, as part of the Des Moines Register’s 41st Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, better known as RAGBRAI.

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FUN to see three NPR political reporters from Washington on Ragbrai this week as part of the cleverly-named No Pie Refused team!! http://www.desmoinesregister.com/VideoNetwork/2557490429001/NPR-s-No-Pie-Refused-trio-rides-RAGBRAI-XLI.

They’re blogging about the adventure – of course and posting some classic RAGBRAI photos. see: http://returntoiowa.tumblr.com/?ft=1&f=2,5,1013,1014,1016,1017,1134,1929301

We ended up riding in the rain (there was a boom of thunder as we set off) yesterday so I could get in one pre-RAGBRAI ride after three weeks away from serious bike riding. Unfortunately I had a little mishap that now requires a last minute bike repair job before I ride RAGBRAI tomorrow. This is not the the best time to be taking my bike into the shop – the bike stores here are stressed, to say the least, not only because they have mechanics along the RAGBRAI route but because the whole shebang comes o Des Moines tomorrow. But they promise to have my bike repaired (I need a new rear wheel rim) by the end of today. Here’s hoping – otherwise I’ll use my husband’s bike.

We’re lucky our mishap didn’t lead to serious injuries. My tire got caught in a slick rut along the Great Western Trail (that trail is getting a tad old and the makeshift repairs to the asphalt – black tar poured into cracks – are themselves a danger, especially in wet weather). My bike tipped over  but somehow I managed to right it and not hit the pavement. We didn’t realize until later that the bike got banged up in the process. Poor D, who was riding behind me, wasn’t as lucky. He braked to avoid crashing into me and fell, landing on his chest on the asphalt. He got a few cuts and bruises but professed to be okay. Scary.

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July 21, 2013 · 2:45 pm

Getting excited for RAGBRAI ride

 

It’s hard not to feel the excitement about RAGBRAI this year, which begins today in western Iowa – – especially since the whole city of Des Moines, where I live, is gearing up for the arrival of thousands of riders here on Tuesday (the route, which changes every year, goes through DSM for the first time in ages this year!). There are all sorts of parties, concerts, food vendors, residents readying for the big event!

And our friends in Windsor Heights (a DSM suburb) are among many who are opening their homes to host a few riders – and those riders  will definitely luck out. They’ll get a fantastic outdoor pool, beautifully landscaped yard, drinks, meals and meet two of the nicest Iowans ever (and that’s saying a lot)! Just heard from a friend in Ames who needs a place to stay – and even more important “a real shower” during the Des Moines overnight so looks like we’ll be squeezing some more people into our house. (We’re already hosting an Israeli exchange student as of today for several weeks).  The more the merrier.

I just pulled out the stuff from my official RAGBRAI packet (this is the first year I’ve gone legit and paid to ride for two days, rather than just hoping on the ride for a day as I did two years ago) and I’ve got various wristbands and bike tags. Cannot wait!!

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