Country Views: Pre-Heat Gravel

Escape Route: Impromptu Cyclo Cross

 The heat was coming, the weather people said, so Thursday I decided to get in a pre-heat gravel ride. Heat indices of plus-one hundred are not my kind of deal. So, I had to get while the gettin' was good. 

The wind was out of the Northwest when I left and the humidity wasn't oppressive. Still, it was in the 80's with bright Sunshine, so it was hot, just not stupidly so. 

I decided to ride what I call "The Northwest Passage" route. It is a multi-terrain route with dirt, gravel, pavement, and on this outing, a bit of cyclo cross action!

It seems there is some sort of construction project going on along the dead end of Falls Avenue which required a long-distance water pump. Back in the day they used to use cast iron pipes and big diesel engines as pumps. I guess now they use plastic based pipe and whatever they are using for a pump, I did not see. This wasn't the only spot I had to dismount and hop over something though. There was a tree down on the Trolley Car Trail in the dirt section and then I ran across this..... 

The Cedar River is flooding. Must Be Sturgis Falls Days time!

 Under the West First Street bridge, near downtown Cedar Falls, the trail runs along the Cedar River on the South side. Well, the water had come up over that bit just under the bridge. I contemplated riding through it, but the current looked pretty strong and I thought the better of it. So, I climbed up the steep embankment to First Street and crossed over at Main Street and was on my way.

The downtown area was abuzz with preparations for this weekend's Sturgis Falls Days. So, I was happy to leave that all behind me and get away from the hub-bub.

I rode part way around Big Woods Lake

Finally! Gravel on Mt. Vernon Road. 

There were a fair number of trail users out on this day. Many were likely thinking along the same lines as I was. It was going to be too hot to be out over the weekend, so getting out then was a better idea. Several were runners. A fair amount of elderly on e-Bikes were noted also.

The humidity this weekend will have this corn twice this height by next weekend. 

The roads were really smooth after all the rain we've had. This is Streeter Road looking South. 

The gravel was super-smooth after all the rain the area has received over the past few days. It was almost as if these were post-Winter time conditions. Usually the roads are like this in February and March until they are maintained. You almost never see this after then. So, it was a nice find, but I am sure this will get fresh rock soon enough!

 

Prairie Rose, (foreground), Red Clover, and a ton of Wild Parsnip. 

I turned down Moline Road to find it looking smooth, but it wasn't.  It was really lumpy. In places it was rough, but only because traffic had kind of torn up the road a bit. This reminded me a lot of riding in Kansas and Nebraska where you can find dirt roads with a lot of undulations and rough patches. 

Typically, Iowa gravel is more 'groomed'. It is taken care of to the point where sometimes all you get to ride on is a thick, even carpet of crushed rock. Variances in the surface sometimes do not exist at all. So this change of pace was fun and I was recalling some of my riding experiences in Kansas and Nebraska as I pedaled South toward Waterloo. 

Sheep grazing near a farm on Big Rock Road. Note the large solar panel arrays. 

 I ended up with about two and a half hours riding which is better than the stretch of nothing I got in over the weekend. (Father's Day).  I am not complaining, just worried about not getting enough seat time in for the Tree In The Road Ride coming up in a week.