Iowa Monsoon

GRANGER, IOWA - Recent analysis by the State Climatologist shows that we just went through one if the wettest, if not THE wettest spring, on record in Iowa.  It's June 10th and the crops are at least two weeks behind where they should be in a "typical" year.  There are wet spots and ponds all over the place.  Quite a 180 degree difference from a year ago.
     I took this picture during one of the many storms we have experienced this spring.  It's actually quite powerful and beautiful at the same time.  This line of storms actually produced several reports of funnel clouds and radar indicated tornadoes in Polk and Story Counties.

RRVT North Loop Grand Opening

PERRY, IOWA - Last Saturday was a big day of celebration here in Dallas County as the north loop of the Raccoon River Valley Trail is now officially complete, with the last stretch of concrete being poured between Dawson and Herndon just a couple of weeks ago.  A grand opening celebration was held in downtown Perry with a number of dignitaries, media and scores of cyclists who rode in for the event.  It was really exciting to see the enthusiasm about the trail and what the future holds for the communities along the trail system, and the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association did an outstanding job (as always) of organizing the event which also coincided with National Trails Day.

Even with rain threatening, there was a big crowd in Perry.

A number of vendors had booths and displays in Perry's Caboose Park.

Cyclists picking up their card for the Poker Ride in Dallas Center.

Trout Run Trail

DECORAH, IOWA - Over the Memorial Day weekend, we had the chance to visit northeast Iowa and stay in the charming community of Decorah.  If you enjoy anything outdoors, the Decorah area has just about anything you could ask for - cycling, paddling, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.  The "driftless" area of Northeast Iowa is incredibly scenic and offers many areas to explore.
     On the top of my list to check out was the Trout Run Trail, a ten mile looped trail recently completed around and through the City of Decorah.  The trail takes you along the Upper Iowa River in Decorah, through some commercial/residential areas, and eventually out of town along Trout Run Creek, past the fish hatchery and the infamous eagle nest, and then through some absolutely stunning scenery south of Decorah before bringing you back into town where you cross a new bridge over Highway 9 and up to a cut where limestone was blasted away to blaze a path for the trail as you roll back down into Decorah proper.
     I had a chance to ride the loop twice while I was there - both times going in a clockwise fashion around the loop.  Again, I will let the photos speak for themselves!

View from the top of one of the hills looking Northwest toward Decorah

Peering into Trout Run Valley from one of the switchbacks

A foggy view down one of the long grades.

Gateway to the Trail on the southeast edge of Decorah

Limestone cut just before you roll back into Decorah

This is dairy country.

Raccoon River Float

MINBURN, IOWA - So far, the Memorial Day Weekend has been crummy in the weather department in Central Iowa, with rain and chilly temperatures persisting across the area.  Looks like it may not get much better for the rest of the long weekend.  So, I look back to last Saturday when you couldn't have asked for more perfect weather for a quick float down the North Raccoon River Water Trail.
     Two friends and I launched our kayaks from the river access west of Minburn, and floated down to the Highway 44 access at Dallas Center.  The morning was sunny and crisp, the wildlife was abundant, and the river was flowing at a decent clip.  Not too many strainers or shallow ripples were encountered along this stretch of river, which made it for a very enjoyable trip.  In fact, our trip was a short one - only taking about an hour and a half - making me wish we would have launched further upstream.
     In lieu of more verbiage, I believe the photos below do a better of describing just how pleasant of a trip this was.  What a super way to start off last weekend....

Launching from the access west of Minburn

A nice current made for a very relaxing trip down the Raccoon

Warm sun poking through the trees

Is this really in Dallas County?  Yes.

Approaching the Highway 44 access west of Dallas Center

A nice stretch of the Raccoon to kayak

Bike To Work Day!

Commuting along Meredith in Urbandale

DES MOINES, IOWA - May is Bicycle Month, and in the Des Moines area there have been a lot of activities centered around this event including several companies encouraging employees to bike to work.  Friday was designated as "bike to work day" and I thought it would be a great opportunity to give it a try.  Rather than do it all in one day, I decided to split it up and ride home from work on Thursday, and then bike back into work Friday morning. 
     My commute via bicycle ended up being just under 21 miles one-way, and for almost the entire trip I was able to stay on designated bicycle trails with the exception of a couple short stretches where I either rode on sidewalks or (Friday morning) on the road.  Traffic in town was horrendous on Thursday afternoon, and it was quite a different experience from the serenity that I am used to on the local rail-trails in the area that I frequent.  I had to stay

Friday morning was much more tranquil

alert to what was going on behind me, beside me and certainly ahead of me.  There were many times I had vehicles coming up behind me wanting to make a right hand turn and had I not checked behind me and stopped at each intersection I may have collided with a vehicle.  Friday morning was much better since I left quite early in the morning before rush hour began.
     All in all, it was a lot of fun and an enjoyable experience that I hope to replay a few more times this coming summer.  It also made me further appreciate the great trail system we have in and around the greater Des Moines area!

Colorful Corridor

MINBURN, IOWA - Even though it's been relatively cool the past couple of weeks, the vegetation is really starting to leaf out along the corridor of the Raccoon River Valley Trail.  A number of the various flowering trees and shrubs are starting to adorn the trail with a variety of colors and smells and it adds a lot of character to the path this time of year.  I look forward each year to when some of the wildflowers begin to bloom along the corridor.  One of the neat things about a trail that contains a diverse mix of prairie, wetlands and wooded areas such as the RRVT is that there seems to be something in bloom nearly all season long, which means there is always something interesting to observe and enjoy along the trail. 
     Today many people were out enjoying the segment of trail from Dallas Center to Minburn, even with a cool and brisk wind from the northwest.  It looks like the spring of extremes continues; last night we were in a frost advisory; and now tomorrow's high is expected to peak at 90 degrees!  Looks like we may have a bit of a decent window for planting crops early this week before thunderstorms appear in the forecast late in the week.  Hoping that the local farmers are able to get a good share of their crops in this coming week; before much longer we'll be slipping past the optimal planting window for corn in Iowa. 

Really?

DALLAS CENTER, IOWA - The perpetual winter of 2012/2013 continued right into the first week of May with several inches of snow dumped on a good share of Iowa.  Our friends in northern Iowa seemed to take the brunt of it, but here in Central Iowa we also had a good dose of snow that continued off and on for at least two days.  A couple of mornings, the it turned the roads slushy and there were a number of accidents but for the most part it has melted fairly rapidly.
     The crummy weather has put the crimp on some of the Bike Month activities going on around the area.  I have not been on my bicycle for the last several days with the cold and moisture.  However, this has been a good time to get some maintenance done on the bicycle including cleaning up the frame, lubricating the chain, and making some other adjustments.

     On the bright side, it seems this weather is drawing in more birds to the backyard feeders, which we have continued to keep filled.  Yesterday we had an Eastern Towhee in the backyard which is not a very rare sight.  Lots of other migratory birds have been observed here lately which makes it a little easier to enjoy the wintry scene.  The contrast of the dark, green grass against the freshly fallen snow is also kind of pretty in its own way, I have to admit.