September 3, 2021
Twists and Turns
As the name rail trail implies, these trails are built on former rail lines and as you might expect they are generally quite straight. That was my expectation as I began today's ride on the Fox River Trail running from Algonquin IL to Oswego IL. I took the picture below as I started my ride and expected it to remain pretty straight for its duration.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover the trail was anything but a straight run. The trail was built using portions of three former rail lines so there was a need to connect these separate lines when building the trail. Crisscrossing the Fox River and the serpentine nature of the trail were welcomed and a lot of fun.
The second twist and turn was how the trail wove through suburbs, forest preserves, parks and cities. I was impressed with how the towns and cities of West Dundee, Elgin, St. Charles, Aurora and Oswego have incorporated and accommodated the trail making it a highlight of obvious redevelopment efforts. In many instances the trail went right through the heart of the city providing opportunities for taking a short break. In those cities where it was necessary to make a short road ride to reconnect with the trail, the signage was what anyone would hope for. Each road ride was addressed a bit differently but St. Charles takes the prize.
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Many of the urban areas erected statues and informational kiosks to celebrate their founders. I found this one pretty interesting.
The third and final twist was the weather. The forecast called for a cloudy day with rain beginning at 6 PM. About nine miles into this 42 mile ride it began to rain lightly pretty much continuing for the balance of the ride. Thankfully the tree cover kept me and the trail relatively dry.
Tomorrow we divert from our original plan. We head to St. Louis to connect with a former colleague for dinner. Shirley and I shared apartments in New Jersey when we worked in NYC and again in Silver Spring, MD . It's been too long since we have seen each other.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 575 miles (925 km)
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