Thanksgiving Trekking

NEW PROVIDENCE, IOWA - Well, it's been several months since I've posted anything and much like last year, I seemed to "fall off the wagon" once training for RAGBRAI started in earnest and haven't paid much attention to the blog.  Well, RAGBRAI came and went as well as most of the the summer and fall.  During that period, there's been many things to enjoy outdoors, as well as some exciting news "back home" in regards to the development of a new recreational trail being developed from Marshalltown to Steamboat Rock on the former right of way of the Iowa River Railroad that I have been getting involved with from the standpoint of creating and maintaining several web pages on Hardin County Trails web site promoting the project (vs. keeping my blog up to date!).  It's been fun working on that project, researching some of the history of the corridor as well as helping to promote the future trail knowing the amazing potential that project will have for the seven communities along the IRRT.  More to come on that project here in the months to come.

     Well, now that it's cooled off outside (and daylight much shorter) there should be ample opportunities to up date the blog with some photos and other thoughts from the past several months.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we took advantage of the very nice weather to hike around and through Reece Park in Hardin County.  The creek level being as low as it was enabled us to get right on the creek and in spots literally walk across the stream.  One of the neat features of Honey Creek are the outcroppings of large boulders found in spots along the waterway, what geologists say are remnants of the Wisconsin glacier that once covered this area.

     Saw a couple of bald eagles circling the park as well as many other species of birds.  It was a nice way to burn off some calories after eating way too much!

Colorful Palatte

MINBURN, IOWA - On one of my early morning rides on the Raccoon River Valley Trail this past week, I was greeted with a gorgeous sky in the west as the rising sun in the east illuminated a small thunderstorm off on the horizon.  Such a gorgeous time of the year on the trail with the lush, green corridor sprinkled with colors from the native prairie wildflowers along the trail, the songbirds along the way and even the sky!

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!