Since my summer schedule has been typically chaotic, ride planning has been tough for me to accomplish. Fortunately Tim and Melissa were able to take the initiative and line up a ride on Saturday, June 14, along the Wauponsee Glacial Trail from Sugar Creek Preserve near Joliet to Custer. It ended up just being the two of them and me, which is too bad because the weather was beautiful and the trail was really enjoyable. Melissa and Tim had not ridden this trail before, and I had not ridden the portion south of Manhattan, but it was definitely worth the trip. Here's a map showing the various trailheads which have parking, water, and a restroom. The photos below are in reverse order, starting from the bridge over the Kankakee at Custer and continuing north. The trip log is also available for viewing.
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| As with many of our favorite cycling trails, this one served a different purpose in an earlier life. One remnant of this is the large train bridge over the Kankakee River as you head into and out of Custer. |
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| Here's a view from the bridge itself. I'm always compelled to stop and marvel at rivers while riding over them. |
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| We aren't sure exactly what the population of Symerton was on the day we stopped for lunch. |
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| I verified with one of the patrons that this was in fact a biker bar. Most bikes that stop here likely have more horsepower. |
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| Heading north near the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, back toward the starting point. Most of the trail was fairly open like this section, meaning it is best suited for mild temperatures and a not very windy day. Southern portions of the trail were a bit more sheltered. |
Last Thursday and again Sunday evening, I took some time to explore portions of two trails we will be visiting during upcoming trips. You see, before dragging a group of people along for a ride, I prefer to have some familiarity with the trail myself!
Starved Rock
The trip to Starved Rock is coming up very soon (Friday, July 11) but I had not taken a ride on the I&M Canal yet this year. I had heard from various sources that it wasn't in great shape, so Sunday evening (6/29) I took a quick and somewhat spontaneous ride from McKinley Woods to Morris. I was pleased to learn it was the same old I&M Canal as in past years: pretty thin in spots but overall not a bad ride. You had to keep your eyes on the path just in case of bumps and obstacles, but I was never in danger of losing any fillings from being jarred around. I can't vouch for the rest of the trail based only on that one section, so hopefully before the big trip I'll have time to explore more of it. And reports from other group members are equally welcome! Here's the trip log.
Lake Geneva
A similarly ambitious trip planned for later this summer (August 5-6) will go from Plainfield to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and back (over two days), mostly along the Fox River Trail and the Prairie Trail. I have ridden the portion from Plainfield to South Elgin, but know nothing of the trail north of that. For this scouting trip last Thursday (6/26) I parked between South Elgin and Elgin with plans to ride to Algonquin. Being short of time, and also getting turned around multiple times in Elgin, I only managed to ride to East Dundee, our planned lunch stop for the August trip.
Despite losing the trail a couple of times in Elgin, I was really impressed with the nice development along the riverfront. The entire downtown area looks like a great place to hang out, so if we are running behind on our August trip, it would make a perfectly fine alternative stopping place for lunch. That would leave a longer afternoon, of course. For the ride I look last Thursday, including my efforts to navigate downtown Elgin, here's the trip log.
I hope to have more time to ride the rest of the northern part of the trail, including the road segment from Genoa City to Lake Geneva, before the trip in August, so I'll post more details if and when that happens!
