A Bit Wet In Spots

Check!

Okay, this is your notice that "Camp Ingawanis South Side Trails" is now going to be known as "Ingawanis Woods". Officially that happens on June 1st, but I am jumping the gun! The Scouts sold the parcel of land off to Bremer County last fall and the transfer takes effect on 6-1-13.

With that bit of business out of the way, I will continue with my little story of an unusual ride out there Wednesday. Unusual because of the heavy rains received up North on Sunday night that added up to 5-6 inches of rain fall and flooded the Cedar River. That moved downstream to us and the crest was early Wednesday morning, a few hours before I went up to ride.

There is a lower section of the trails up there that I knew would be unrideable, and has been unrideable for quite sometime now due to the higher water levels this Spring. I figured that was off the menu, but I hadn't gotten a half a mile in before my first check at a ravine crossing. There was a short work around, but then another 100 yards or so I was stopped dead in my tracks and had to turn tail and head back where I started. I wasn't about to give up on my riding opportunity just yet though.

Higher ground

I tried heading up towards the Eagle Lodge, but it was pretty muddy, and I got out of there as soon as I ever could. Heading up higher, I found that the trails were actually in really great shape. There are a few decent hills out there which rise above the river level far enough that I was finding some decent trail, albeit in an unconventional, (for me), order of experience. Basically, I was going what I would call "backwards" on the loop.

I had heard of a new loop cut in as well, and it wasn't long before I found the fresh cut-in trail. Fresh made trail, (at least in Iowa), is always a chore to ride. The ground, which generally hasn't seen any traffic whatsoever, is soft, loamy, and very irregular. This trail section had been cleared, but very few bicycles had been on it yet. Ooof! Gear down! Trundling along, I was happy just to be able to check it out, and find it all above water!

This new trail impressed me in two ways: First- it will be a flowy, fast trail once it gets "burned in". A great single speeder's section, if I do say so myself. Secondly, it is longer than I expected. This is a big section of trail and my hats off to Karmen who, (as far as I know), pretty much single handedly cut this in. Nice work!

And one other thing- it's clearly "jungle season" again. The underbrush is growing at a mad rate, and soon will be overtaking several spots on the trails. Crazy weather we're having here. Only three weeks ago it snowed!