Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Two Trips on the Centennial Trail

Note: The blog got a little behind as I transitioned to a new computer (a transition which is ongoing) but I wanted to finally get a couple of recent rides posted before August was completely gone.  That didn't happen, mainly because the Garmin feature that lets you embed ride details into another page then stopped working for a while.  I think all is finally well again.

In August the cycling group added the Centennial Trail to its ever-growing list of those it has explored. The trail itself is not new, nor is it unfamiliar to some of the group members who have ridden it often, but as a group we had not officially visited it until recently. And then we rode it two weeks in a row!

The website for the trail describes our two rides very accurately.  On our first ride, Jon and I started in downtown Lockport and headed south to Joliet, passing through the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site along the way.  Upon reaching Joliet we turned around, rode back to Lockport, then kept on going to 135th Street and a little beyond.  Total distance was just about 20 miles. The best part was when we got back to Lockport and Jon asked, "But where do we get ice cream?"  We found it a couple blocks away at Cool Creations.

Jon and Eric enjoying ice cream together...like only really manly men can do.

On our second ride, Casey, Doug, Jason, and I started at 135th Street and (according to the trail website) headed north for 3 miles "through wetlands and woodlands to Keepataw Bridge." Upon reaching Cook County we continued an additional 9.5 miles to Columbia Woods at Willow Springs Road...where we stopped to take a photo.  Total round-trip distance on this ride was just over 25 miles.  Unfortunately there was no ice cream at the end.

Jason, Casey, Eric, and Doug on the Des Plains River bridge at Willow Springs Road.

I have to say "Thanks!" to Jason for encouraging me to try this trail. I had always imagined it to be something where you are riding through chemical factories and oil refineries. In reality it is really beautiful nearly the entire way...and you only ride next to the factories and refineries.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Beautiful Morning on the Virgil Gilman

It really was a beautiful morning for the last Saturday in July, with temperatures in the 70s and a nice gentle breeze. Add to that the shaded canopy over the Virgil Gilman Trail, and it made for a awfully nice ride. You might be able to note an element of relief in my description of this day...given the brutal conditions during our last outing!   And this time we held it to 23 miles -- still a respectable distance, but much more manageable.

Another great thing about today was the three new people we had join us for the first time:  Caryn, Craig, and Patrick.  It was our sincere pleasure to welcome them to the group, and we really hope they will join us on many more rides in the near future!

After 23 miles, Craig, Patrick, Caryn, Eric, and Doug seem pleased with their ride!
Here is the trip summary, where if you look closely you can see that I started to pull out of the parking lot at the end before stopping the GPS log on my watch.  Luckily I didn't get all the way home before I noticed!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Plainfield to Starved Rock State Park

A couple of us rode a little longer distance, and some of us rode a little shorter distance, but for the group as a whole we'll round it to a nice even 70 miles from Plainfield United Methodist Church to Starved Rock State Park in Utica.  And little did we know (way back in March when we selected July 6th for this trip) we would end up picking one of the hottest days of the year to take our longest ride of the year!  The bank thermometer in Ottawa showed 104 degrees when we rode through, with a heat index likely a few degrees warmer than that, but we were just fine as long as we drank lots of water.  Lots...and lots...and lots...of water.

We (Ken, Pat, Eric W, Eric L, Jon, Jason, and Tim) gathered at the church around 7:15 Friday morning.  The day began with a Blessing of the Bikes, which Pastor Eun-Hye Choi was kind enough to lead.  Most members of the group had never ridden that far before, let alone on such a hot day, so we greatly appreciated the blessing and the prayers for our safety.  The verses she shared from Psalm 147 reminded us that God is not impressed with the strength of our legs (seriously -- that's in there!).  Instead, God is the true source of our strength.  (Thank you, Eun Hye!)

Ken has yet to figure out exactly what kind of biker he really wants to be.
Pastor Eun-Hye Choi shares a passage of scripture during the Blessing of the Bikes.

Getting set to hit the road!
After the blessing we headed out of town, being extra careful not to pop a tire, have an accident, or get hit by a car while still within sight of the church.  The only near mishap came from some crazy lady yelling at us out her window as she drove past.  Fortunately a couple of us realized this was actually just a church member and Cycling Group supporter yelling some encouragement.  (Thanks, Amy!!)

A bit later, after our first stop of the day, we did encounter a small maintenance problem along River Road when Pat's pannier rack came loose and threatened to rub against her back tire or get caught in her spokes.  Luckily we had some tools and some zip ties to secure it in place.  While the guys were busy being resourceful, Pat was busy digging around in her bike bag where she managed to locate the screws that originally came with the rack.  With some reluctance we agreed that those also might do the trick, but to preserve our pride she agreed to let us keep the zip ties on there, too.

Many bike maintenance issues, like securing a pannier rack, easily can be remedied with a zip-tie.
Locating and installing the original screws is another good way to attach a pannier rack.


Despite the very brief maintenance delay (which was totally expected on a long ride) we stayed pretty much on schedule for the first half of the day.  Our route took us through Plainfield on Drauden Road, then through Shorewood on River Road.  Eventually we reached the I & M Canal Trail where it crosses under Interstate 55.  Our morning stops included the Walgreens in Shorewood at Jefferson Street and River Road, and the Subway in Channahon at Canal and Eames (Hwy 6).  Both conveniently offered air conditioning, snacks, ice, restrooms, and -- best of all -- cold drinks!

Heading out of Channahon after our second break of the morning, still mostly in the shade but getting warmer.
For those not familiar with the history of the I & M Canal, it was completed in 1848 to connect the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and is a major reason why Chicago became the city it is today.  Paths were built along each edge of the canal, originally so mules could tow barges.  I have to assume this was also in anticipation that someday bicyclists might wish to ride along the canal.  Likewise, towns along the canal are spaced at intervals corresponding to the length that mules could haul the barges, which by strange coincidence is the same length that bicyclists can ride without an ice cream break.
 
The canal was built with seventeen locks and four aquaducts.  At Aux Sable between Channahon and Morris you can visit one of each!
Around 11:30 we pulled into Morris for our lunch break, again right on schedule (for the last time that day).  We gathered for another group picture before heading to Corleone's for a very filling meal;  next time we'll order half portions.  Ken and Pat had left their van in Morris the previous evening with the intent of riding just halfway and then serving as our sag wagon for the rest of the trip.  On such a ridiculously hot day you can't imagine how grateful we were to have their support, knowing we could call it quits if a bike broke down or...well...melted.  (Thank you, Pat and Ken!!)

We made it to Morris!  Halfway there, and time for lunch!
After lunch the remaining five members of the group headed back out on the trail.  Soon after departing Morris we encountered our first and only path blockage of the day.  A decent sized tree had been knocked down across the path, likely from the storms of last weekend.  We briefly considered using our combined strength to drag the tree aside, but when a tap of the toe didn't budge the thing, we simply lifted our bikes over the trunk and peddled on.
Considering how strong the recent storms had been, we were surprised to find only one spot where a tree was blocking the path.
The first segment of the trip after lunch, from Morris to Seneca, was probably the toughest of the day.  Our bellies were full and the sun was blistering, seemingly much hotter than in the morning.  We were very relieved to reach Seneca and find Pat and Ken waving to us from the Casey's parking lot.  What's funny is that we didn't even recognize them at first, since they had changed clothes after finishing their ride in Morris.  Our initial impression of Seneca was that it's a really friendly town where people stand and cheer when you arrive.
After lunch on the trail out of Morris, we soon learned that even the shade didn't help a lot.  Although it did help!
The next stop after Seneca was supposed to be Ottawa, with an option of resting in Marseilles along the way.  After surviving the ride to Seneca we decided Marseilles was no longer an option - it was absolutely mandatory.  (The mules were really tuckered out!)  We stopped in Marseilles for a break at the Burger King and resisted the urge to splurge on shakes and smoothies, instead saving our appetites for a Frosty at the Wendy's in Ottawa.  However, upon reaching Ottawa we again found Ken waving at us on the trail, this time directing us toward the Triple J Ice Cream shop -- even better than Wendy's!

We all enjoyed some great ice cream at the Triple J and some much-needed air conditioning, as well as their cool-looking (and cooling) ceiling fans.  By this point, knowing that Utica was only ten more miles down the trail, all of us were feeling much more confident about actually making it all the way there.  But then we noticed the bank thermometer across the road...and drank some more water.

For a while there I thought Jon might not pull through, although Tim, Jason, and Eric seem less concerned.
One big question during the planning stages of the trip was the status of the trail through Buffalo Rock State Park.  For several recent months a portion of the trail had been closed in this area, cutting off access between Ottawa and Utica.  Fortunately all those issues had been worked out earlier this year, so we were able to complete the entire trip.  In fact, this beautiful and unique section of the trail was in pretty good shape, though the encroaching vegetation made it a little hard to ride side by side in certain sections.  We were just glad it was open at all!
The area around Buffalo Rock State Park is unlike any other part of the trail.
As you approach the outskirts of Utica, the trail changes from a gravel path to a paved road.  Knowing the end is near, it is hard not to accelerate toward your goal.  Even after ten hours on the road in the heat, we started riding a little faster...though not as fast as Jason and Tim up ahead!
Tim and Jason pull ahead as we close in on Utica.
Although not the ultimate destination of our trip, a big motivation toward the end of the day was the idea of a tall cold drink (or two) at Duffy's Tavern, just off the trail as you arrive in Utica.  Ken and Pat (still faithfully following us) were kind enough to treat the whole group.  (Once again....thank you!!!)  At Duffy's we also met up with our chef Michael who had agreed to join us for camping and to handle all the cooking arrangements, including buying all the food and bringing all the equipment.  We don't deserve to have friends like that, but we're grateful that we do!

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for!
As if riding 65 miles through the heat was not enough, we finished our drinks at Duffy's and decided to ride a bit more...all the way to Starved Rock State Park where we were camping.  So down the road we went, crossing the Illinois River and turning into the state park.  Our final treat of the day was the hill in the park from the visitor's center up to the lodge, a climb of almost 200 feet in less than half a mile.  (As Eric W. would say, "Lovely.")  Now if you watch the Tour de France you know those guys can do a climb like that while taking a nap, but for our weary legs it was somewhat of a challenge.  So we drank some more water first.

The bridge over the Illinois River is a little intimidating on a bike, but the view is terrific!

The best part of the trip was setting up camp Friday evening and then just sitting around and resting while Michael prepared an awesome meal of watermelon, pork chops, corn on the cob, and cheesy bacon potatoes.  The pancakes and pork sausage patties for breakfast were equally delicious!  Thanks again, Michael!

Chef Michael cheerfully prepares the meal Friday evening while the rest of us stumble around in a heat-induced daze.
In summary, the trip would have been a bit easier if the temperature had been about 20 degrees cooler, but we were all feeling pretty good by the next day.  Already we are talking about the next possible adventure, perhaps to Wisconsin, and also thinking about repeating this trip next summer.  (Someday we might even try to complete a century ride...although definitely not when the thermometer is above the century mark!)  For this trip the primary thing is that we all made it safely, we didn't have any major bike issues, the trail was in good shape and open all the way, and we all enjoyed a full weekend of fun, fellowship, and fitness -- which is what the Cycling Group is all about!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Return to the I&M Canal Trail

For our eighth group cycling event of the summer we returned to the ever-popular I&M Canal Trail this past Sunday afternoon.  After many months we were happy to see our friend Doug again, and hope he can join us some more this summer.  Riding along with Doug were Jason, Tim, and me.  Starting from Empress Road we traveled to McKinley Woods and back, about 20 miles.  And while the weather earlier that afternoon was pretty scary again, especially up in DuPage and Cook counties, by the time of our ride it was perfectly sunny and much cooler than in previous days.  Perfect weather for biking!

By the way, for those paying really close attention, the Empress Road to McKinley Woods ride is normally only a 19-mile round trip.  On this day, however, we took a couple of brief detours.  One was to check out the Subway store at Eames and Canal in Channahon, site of our second planned stop during our upcoming trip to Utica.  We wanted to make sure it is actually going to be open at the time we plan to arrive on Friday, and were glad to see it is.  The second detour was to explore an island (or sort-of island) park area where Tim likes to bring his kids.  There is a nice walking/biking path plus some picnic shelters, so we may have to make a return trip sometime.

Part of the reason for visiting the trail on Sunday was to check for damage from the recent storms, especially those from last Friday night.  We weren't sure what we might find laying across the path.  Luckily there were mainly just twigs and small branches, and lots of leaves, but nothing too bad.  We did, however, find one section of the trail where a tree had fallen and was blocking the path.  Being four big strong guys (ha!) we decided it was our job to push it aside.  Fortunately it was not a large tree, so I was able to supervise while the others worked.

As it turns out, once the tree was pushed aside and we looked at the stump, we discovered it didn't fall because of the storm, but from a beaver.  This was not a well-executed tree-fall on the part of the beaver, because the tree came nowhere near to hitting the water.  I wonder if poor planning is common for beavers along the I&M Canal, because I often notice trees that are chewed to fall away from the water.

The trip log is posted below.  Was this really the first time we had started at Empress Road this year?  Normally that is one of our favorite starting spots, so maybe we will have to visit it more often during the second half of the summer.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Plainfield to Oswego


On Saturday the 23rd of June it was me, Casey, and Jon riding from Plainfield to Oswego.  From the picture, are you starting to notice a common theme to these bike rides?  But really, when you ride right past a place, you have to support a hometown business.  Besides, when we arrived at the Dairy Hut we were the only three people in line.  Then by the time we got our ice cream a few minutes later the line was over 20 people long!  Who knew we could draw such a crowd?!?  (Was it the bike pants??)

On the way out of Plainfield we followed Heggs Road to 127th, but on the return trip Jon guided us along the nice set of Oswegoland Park District trails through Grande Park and across the awesome pedestrian bride over Ridge Road.

In fact, Jon had a pretty interesting story about that bridge, a story that reflects very well on the developers of Grande Park.  And that bridge has always been a favorite destination for our family bike rides with the kids, so I appreciated knowing more about how it came to be built.  I may have said this before, but if you ever have a chance to go biking around Plainfield with Jon, you can learn a ton of interesting things.  At least I think they are interesting, so I'm grateful Jon is willing to share!  And I'm even more thankful for Jon's role in making our town such a great place to live!!

The bridge also happened to be the destination for Casey and me the last time he and I were able to ride together.  (That's a different story, one about a beautiful little princess who prefers not to share her carriage with bugs.)  So I was very happy that Casey was able to join us for a longer ride this time.  And we were all glad that the weather was overcast and cool, with just a light breeze.  It was a perfect Saturday evening for a bike ride with friends!

Details provided below:

End to End on the Old Plank Road Trail

On Saturday the 16th of June a group of us gathered for another trip along the Old Plank Road Trail.  This time the plan was to ride the whole thing, which for Tim would be his first 40-miler.  He and I started at the Joliet trailhead on Washington Street and rode to Frankfort.  In Frankfort we met up with Jon and the other Eric [note: to clarify, I am The Other Eric, not the other Eric].  They were not able to start quite as early that day.

While in Frankfort we also stopped at the trailside bike shop (Plank Road Cyclery) and I picked up a nice insulated water bottle for Tim, who had been riding that day with a large red thermos attached with a bungee cord to his bike rack.  My excuse, so that he would accept the gift, was his upcoming birthday.

Now personally I had no problem with Tim's thermos arrangement.  I greatly value function over fashion any day!  It was an excellent way to haul a large amount of ice water.  But he seemed a little self-conscious...and it was completely impossible for him to drink from the thing as he rode along.  Although I would have enjoyed watching him try!  So now he has a new water bottle.  In fact, he ended up liking it enough to order a second one when he got home.  It's nice when a gift is appreciated! 

Together the four of us rode to the eastern end of the trail at Western Avenue and then headed back to Frankfort.  Upon reaching Frankfort, Jon and Eric left us alone again (naturally) so Tim and I had to finish the ride back to Joliet on our own.  But not before I enjoyed some gelato at Mama Rosetta's Gelateria & Espresso Bar.  Tim waited very patiently while I ate.

When Tim and I finally made it back to Joliet it was time for dinner.  All afternoon we had been planning to eat at Dairy Queen, and seeing as it had been over 10 miles since my last ice cream, we headed that direction.  As it turns out, the walk-up Dairy Queen at Washington and White is maybe not the ideal choice for a fine dinner (see the representative photo above) but at least the ice cream was okay.

We did accomplish our main mission for the day, which was to ride 40+ miles.  Details are provided below:

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Exploring Drauden Road

Tim and I took a little trip this afternoon and met up with Nelson along the way.  Due to time constraints we didn't ride too far, but we did explore a portion of the first leg of next month's excursion.  This would be the section from the church down to our first stop at River Road and Jefferson, although we didn't actually get to Jefferson today.

I had ridden this route multiple times but I wanted a couple other group members to give it a try with me.  My plan was to get their impression of narrow Drauden Road and also to see how it was to get through there with more than one cyclist. 

I wish I knew a better way to bike from the north side of Plainfield to Caton Farm Road.  Once you get to Caton Farm there are lots of options for getting around, but I don't know of a really comfortable way of getting from Lockport Street to Caton Farm.  So my practice is to take Drauden and endure the 0.8 miles where it is narrow with no shoulder.  Actually I think that is the practice of many cyclists, because I often see others along there, too.  Luckily the cars have always been very patient and careful, which was the case again today.

Tim and Nelson thought it wasn't too bad.  I'm thinking we should go through there in multiple groups, 2-3 at a time.  That way cars don't have to get all bunched up trying to pass a whole group of cyclists at once.  We'll see how traffic is that morning and make a decision at that time.

Here's the summary:  

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Ottawa to Starved Rock Campground

Since much of this weekend was filled with Relay for Life activities, Friday afternoon we scheduled a ride intended to go from Ottawa to Utica along the I&M Canal Trail (~20 miles round-trip).  This would be the last leg of the trip we are planning for early July, and since we had not ridden it before, Jason suggested we check it out.  It turned out that only Jason and I were available, which was unfortunate given the really enjoyable ride we had.

As sometimes happens...we ended up riding a bit farther than originally planned.  Upon arriving in Utica faster than expected, we decided to see whether we could ride safely to Starved Rock State Park.  That meant crossing the Illinois River on the Route 178 bridge.  Friday evening...not much traffic...no problem.  We crossed the bridge and headed into the park.

After a brief stop at the visitors center, we planned to head back to Utica.  Then upon further reflection we decided it might be good to see whether we could ride safely from the visitors center to the campgrounds.  That meant climbing a steep switchback 200' hill (during which we saw both a turkey and a deer standing right next to the road) then exiting the park onto Route 71.  We were a little concerned about riding on 71 with no shoulder, but the flat wide road and sparse traffic made it easy.  We made it to the campground and peddled past the spaces reserved for our group next month.  Looks like we'll have a beautiful spot!!

On the way back to Utica, we figured it might be good to see if the Route 178 to Route 71 option might be easier than climbing the hill in the park.  Probably it depends on whether you prefer short and steep to long and gradual.  It might also depend on the amount of traffic at the time.  Either way, we went around the park and followed 71 to 178, flew down the hill, crossed the bridge again, and made it back to Utica.  After a brief and mandatory stop for ice cream at the County Cupboard, we headed back to Ottawa.

Overall it was a really fun ride with great weather and beautiful scenery.  The section of the I&M Canal Trail between Ottawa and Utica is a bit narrow in spots but well maintained and unlike any other portion I had ridden.

The one little snag yesterday was that I forgot to bring my Garmin watch to track our route.  Luckily, there's an app for that.  Just before leaving work I paid $0.99 and installed the MotionX-GPS app.  At the expense of high battery usage on my phone, it very accurately tracked the whole route and gave me a file I could upload both to the MotionX site and to Garmin Connect.  Here are the details:

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Old Plank Road Trail: Joliet to Frankfort

On this beautiful Sunday afternoon, three members of the group (Jason, Tim, and I) took a trip on the west half of the Old Plank Road Trail starting in Joliet.  Being the first Sunday of the month, we elected to wait until after the Men's Group lunch at Tap House Grill in which Jason and I also participated.  Normally it's not a good idea to indulge at the Tap House and then go bike riding for 22 miles, but the ride turned out to be a good way to burn off the calories from lunch.  It also allowed us to enjoy a few more calories in the form of ice cream at the halfway point in Frankfort:


Jason was disappointed that the convenience store didn't have the chocolate-chip-cookie ice cream sandwich he treated himself to during our Old Plank Road ride in September 2010.  I'm not sure how he remembered this from almost two years ago, but he thought the name of the sandwich was the "Big Boy."  Despite our encouragement, he wasn't willing the ask the cashier, "Do you have any Big Boys?"  Instead he had to settle for a different snack.  As it turns out, it may be good that he didn't ask.  A brief web search into the topic turned up the following product, with a slightly different name:


The ride itself went a little faster than is typical for our group, but someone possibly named Tim had this pretty good excuse about having to go to work that night.  So we took it easy on the first half of the trip, then high-tailed it back to the cars after the break.  The ice cream helped energize us.  We also got to experience the joy of drafting, where the person in front blocks the wind (and avoids hitting dogs) while peddling like crazy, and the bikers behind him coast along effortlessly.  It took us about an hour to ride the first 11 miles, but less than 45 minutes on the return trip.

See the link for details:


I think this a trail we definitely want to ride again with more members of the group!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Bike the Drive 2012 -- With Sun!

Bike the Drive this year greeted the group with much nicer weather than what we experienced a year ago. Jon, Eric W., Jason, and Nelson made the trip together this time. So that leaves us with this perplexing question:

Who took these pictures???

Jason, Nelson, Jon, and Eric resting in front of MSI

We took a very similar picture last year, but all you saw in the background was the fountain!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A Loop on the I&M Canal

This past Saturday the PUMC Cycling Group took its first official ride of the year.  Ken, Marie, Eric, and Tim were the participants.  In order to provide the option of riding a shorter distance, we started at the state park in Channahon, rode about 3.5 miles to McKinley Woods, turned around and rode to where the I&M Canal Trail intersects the Rock Run, then headed back to our starting point in Channahon for a total distance of about 19 miles.  The shorter distance options would have been to ride just from Channahon to McKinley Woods and back (7 miles), or from Channahon to the Rock Run and back (12 miles).

Nobody ended up riding the shorter distance this time, be we agreed that this strategy might be useful over the next month as some group members increase their distance ahead of our Utica trip, while others just want shorter rides with the group.  We don't want to leave anyone out!

The trip log is provided in the links below: