Schedules are gradually starting to get busier as we wrap up July and head into August, but the group did manage to arrange two rides this week. The first was this past Sunday with Marie and Nelson, and the second was Friday evening with Ken, Pat, Marie, Larry, John, and me (Eric).
Since I wasn't along for the ride on Sunday, and since they were not using "one of those fancy gadgets" (in Marie's words), I am guessing at the route they took based on Marie's description. They started at Gaylord Road in Crest Hill, rode to the I&M at Theodore Marsh/Rock Run, followed the I&M to Rockdale, and then returned on the same path. I believe they were trying to find the connection at Larkin that would take them back in a loop, but were not able to find that. The total distance by my calculations was around 24 miles. Here's a map of the route I think they took, so Nelson and Marie can correct me if I'm wrong:
View Larger Map
I had not been aware of that trail before, and learning about new trails is one reason I really like having this cycling group.
The week's second ride, on Friday evening, basically ended in the dark (thanks to yours truly) though it was a really nice cool evening for riding, and the rain managed to hold off long enough for us to finish. The route started at McKinley Woods and headed west to Morris along the I&M Canal Trail for a total distance of 22 miles (based on my fancy gadget). Here's the map:
So with a total of 46 miles, Marie gets the prize for riding the longest distance with the group this week!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
I&M Canal on 7/17/2010
We had another great ride along the I&M Canal this weekend, following the same plan as our previous visit to this trail. Overall we rode about 18.6 miles Saturday afternoon/evening, which isn't too bad considering the heat indices this week. Luckily, a nice cooling breeze is created as you ride along, and much of the trail is nicely shaded:
Our turnout for this ride was excellent! It didn't match the magnificent seven from last Wednesday morning when Tim was towing two tikes, but we did have a total of six cyclists this time. And we were pleased to welcome Nelson on his first of what we hope will be many rides with the group! Here's a snapshot of the whole crew as we were finishing up for the day:
The stats for the ride are shown below. If you click on the link and take a look at the chart of our speeds during the ride, you'll notice that our fastest pace was during the last couple of miles. This was when Pat was out in front and the rest of us were trying to catch her.
Finally, a little something different:
Our turnout for this ride was excellent! It didn't match the magnificent seven from last Wednesday morning when Tim was towing two tikes, but we did have a total of six cyclists this time. And we were pleased to welcome Nelson on his first of what we hope will be many rides with the group! Here's a snapshot of the whole crew as we were finishing up for the day:
The stats for the ride are shown below. If you click on the link and take a look at the chart of our speeds during the ride, you'll notice that our fastest pace was during the last couple of miles. This was when Pat was out in front and the rest of us were trying to catch her.
Finally, a little something different:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Fox River Trail Ride Summary - 07/14/2010
It was a nice ride in the heat today along the Fox River Trail, with our biggest crowd yet! We were pleased to have a total of seven people, including two special (non-pedaling) guests:
Pedaling participants included the two Erics (me and Mr. W) plus Tim, Pat, and Ken. We started in downtown Oswego and rode to where the Fox River Trail intersects with the Virgil Gilman Trail. At that point there is a break between the southern section of the trail and the longer part that heads north out of Aurora. Tim and the youngsters headed back to Oswego while the rest of us continued on relatively quiet (and surprisingly well-marked) side streets through Aurora to where the trail picks back up. About 10 miles into the trip, around North Aurora, we paused for a brief rest and then headed back south. That portion of the trail is nicely shaded in many locations, as you can see:
The total distance was just over 20 miles. Since the trail in Oswego briefly runs along residential streets, I didn't start my GPS watch until we got to the dedicated path. But for the return trip I left it running all the way into the parking lot just so people can see where everything is located. Here's the summary:
It was great that Ken and Pat could finally join us! We look forward to riding with them again soon. And hopefully we'll find a time and route for some of the others that have expressed interest but haven't been able to make it out yet. The more the merrier!
Pedaling participants included the two Erics (me and Mr. W) plus Tim, Pat, and Ken. We started in downtown Oswego and rode to where the Fox River Trail intersects with the Virgil Gilman Trail. At that point there is a break between the southern section of the trail and the longer part that heads north out of Aurora. Tim and the youngsters headed back to Oswego while the rest of us continued on relatively quiet (and surprisingly well-marked) side streets through Aurora to where the trail picks back up. About 10 miles into the trip, around North Aurora, we paused for a brief rest and then headed back south. That portion of the trail is nicely shaded in many locations, as you can see:
The total distance was just over 20 miles. Since the trail in Oswego briefly runs along residential streets, I didn't start my GPS watch until we got to the dedicated path. But for the return trip I left it running all the way into the parking lot just so people can see where everything is located. Here's the summary:
It was great that Ken and Pat could finally join us! We look forward to riding with them again soon. And hopefully we'll find a time and route for some of the others that have expressed interest but haven't been able to make it out yet. The more the merrier!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Virgil Gilman Ride Summary: 10 July 2010
Marie, Jason, and Eric L. met this evening for a ride on the Virgil Gilman Trail. And while we had not decided beforehand how far we would ride, we ended up riding the whole thing end to end. (Maybe we thought Marie would make fun of us if we quit early.) So round trip it was just about 23 miles. Luckily the weather wasn't too hot, the wind wasn't too strong, and the bugs weren't too thick.
Overall it is a really nice trail, though the easternmost 4-mile section has a lot of road crossings. The nicest part starts at Terry Ave and runs west to Waubonsee Community College on Hwy 47.
Here are a couple of photos taken during the ride. Forgive the mild blurriness in one. It was taken from a moving bicycle. And also forgive the landscape shot of the thunderstorm. That's the kind of photo you have to stop for when a meteorologist is along. We were just pleased it didn't thunderstorm on us!
The Gilman Trail intersects with the Fox River Trail which runs north out of Oswego. A nice ride (but longer than our one tonight) is to start in Oswego and catch the western 2/3 of the Gilman Trail out to the college. A really nice ride is to start in Plainfield, ride to the Fox River Trail in Oswego, and then catch the Gilman Trail to the college. But that's about 50 miles round trip. We'll stick to the shorter stuff for now! (Unless anyone is interested....)
For those who might be free during the week, we're looking at another ride Wednesday morning. The route hasn't been selected yet, so if you are interested and have a favorite trail in mind, go ahead and email the group!
Overall it is a really nice trail, though the easternmost 4-mile section has a lot of road crossings. The nicest part starts at Terry Ave and runs west to Waubonsee Community College on Hwy 47.
Here are a couple of photos taken during the ride. Forgive the mild blurriness in one. It was taken from a moving bicycle. And also forgive the landscape shot of the thunderstorm. That's the kind of photo you have to stop for when a meteorologist is along. We were just pleased it didn't thunderstorm on us!
The Gilman Trail intersects with the Fox River Trail which runs north out of Oswego. A nice ride (but longer than our one tonight) is to start in Oswego and catch the western 2/3 of the Gilman Trail out to the college. A really nice ride is to start in Plainfield, ride to the Fox River Trail in Oswego, and then catch the Gilman Trail to the college. But that's about 50 miles round trip. We'll stick to the shorter stuff for now! (Unless anyone is interested....)
For those who might be free during the week, we're looking at another ride Wednesday morning. The route hasn't been selected yet, so if you are interested and have a favorite trail in mind, go ahead and email the group!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)