Keep on rolling down the tracks

July 26, 2022

Iowa bike day

After 4 days with no exercise and 3 of them just sitting on our butts in the truck, we were both ready to go on a ride. There are 2 long rail trails nearby but to get to the trailheads would require us to either ride busy hilly roads that had gravel shoulders or load the bike and drive to a start location. We opted for option B so after breakfast, Don worked at cleaning out the bed of the truck.

By 10 we were in Adel at a parking lot on the Raccoon River Valley rail trail. For today's ride we're taking it toward Des Moines where we could turn around or continue into the city on connecting trails.

It was a pretty day in the country and much cooler weather than we've had in Ohio. Adel isn't that big of a town, but it did have several annoying road crossings where we had to stop to watch for traffic because the vehicles wouldn't stop to let us cross. Once we were out of town, it was much faster riding past endless corn and bean fields.

What was surprising was that we were actually going slightly uphill! Huh, I thought this rail trail would have been flat? When we returned to Adel, I read a sign at their parking lot that explained that the town was built in a low spot in the land and was surrounded by high ground which protected it from tornadoes.

So I guess we're getting a bit more of a work out than we thought! Don started complaining about his knees hurting but I pointed out that it would be downhill on the return trip.

The first part of the ride was in thick woods but it finally opened up as we neared Waukee. We were paralleling Highway 6 and after about 7 miles, reached another parking lot with a bathroom. After stopping for a break, we noticed another trail angling off to the NW. This was a continuation of this rail trail which actually is a loop which is a bit unusual. most rail trails just travel straight in one direction.

Don's knees were feeling better and he was willing to go a little further, so we rode down this section for a couple of miles. Even though it was the middle of the week, there were quite a few cyclists out enjoying the trail.

We did encounter a different road crossing going to a new subdivision that had a traffic warning signal that was triggered automatically as we approached. That was certainly welcome but weird that it was out here in the middle of a corn field! But it sure beats pushing a button.

When we reached a rest spot, we turned around and returned to Adel. It had been a nice ride and we hope to do more of this trail going the opposite direction. It's a long one at about 90 miles in length.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and then after dinner we had some friends over for wine and cheese. Bev and Larry used to live in our condo complex in Denver and had just moved back to Iowa where they had family. It was nice to reconnect with them, and we've made plans to do some joint biking and dancing later this week.

This is the United Brick Company that was started in 1880 in Adel. Dallas County is home to red and blue clay, key ingredients which provide consistency in color, size and high quality for brick making. The original owner of the company obtained many patents for his innovations in brick making. Today the company is still in business with 100 employees. It produces about 92 million bricks a year that are shipped around this country and the world. Not only were Adel bricks used in stately homes and on the town streets, but they're now found in many other structures.

The rail trail had these fake train signals with handy distance signs in every town.

Waukee had some interesting sculpture at their trailhead along with nice flush bathrooms.

Our turn around point today was at this memorial to a former recumbent cyclist.

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 80 miles (129 km)

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Scott AndersonGood to see you on your bikes again!
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2 years ago