Country Views: Almost Finished

Escape Route: Shaulis Road bike trail.

This weather is nuts! It was nearly 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Thursday with a light Southerly breeze. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect cycling weather for any given Summer day, only we are deep into Fall here. 

Weird!

So, while I have several Winterizing house projects begging to get done, I decided to roll out during the afternoon from Prairie Grove Park and see about that new bridge on Hoff Road which was under construction yet the last time I was down that way. 

I was riding the Noble GX5 and was dressed in typical Summer kit. This just is super rare air for Iowa. Usually I'd be wearing my long-sleeved wool and a vest by this point into the year. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I know it is not 'right' either. 

New bridge rail lean

A view from the bridge looking South down Hoff Road

When I saw that the bridge was going to be replaced a while back I had visions of this spot getting changed so much I would no longer recognize it. But much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. The County used a lot more cement in the construction of this bridge over the old bridge's mostly wooden underpinnings, but they kept the guard rails on posts for railings. That was a nice throw-back touch, but I am certain the County was not interested in keeping the vibe real here. I was just pleased it kind of turned out that way. 

A mostly shorn landscape now.

But not every field has been harvested yet

I noted how much the gravel had been pulverized by the monster harvesting machinery. My friend, Tony, was in to visit at the Collective on Wednesday and told me it was VERY dusty and dry out there. He was not wrong! The relative humidity has dropped a lot since our monsoon September and with little rain the past two weeks it has gotten decidedly drier. I didn't really have to worry about it at first, but later on the dust became a big issue.  Great for testing chain lube though!

 

Again, the weather was so spectacular. The only thing reminding me it wasn't Summer was how low the angle of the Sun is now. Well, that and the fields. So two things, really. But otherwise this ride could have been in June, if you'd have blindfolded me, and I could ride a bike blindfolded. Ha!

The gravel, besides being dry and pulverized in many spots, was fairly chunky and clean lines were rare. I ended up on the far right side a few times looking for smoother travel. But overall, it wasn't bad. It was more that I have a slight cold and my knees were roached from riding fixed gear recently that made riding a little harder on this day.  

Finishing up corn harvest here. 

There were three semi-tractor trailer rigs ferrying corn from this field. 

I finally came across some late harvesting action. It was a corn field and the semi-tractor trailer rigs were making the rounds ferrying corn as fast as they could. There were three that I saw and they were in a hurry too. Obviously, this kicked up a fair amount of dust. 

Once I turned on to Ansborough I was essentially riding through a fog of pulverized limestone. It was insane.  This is why I really try to avoid riding during the harvest. It is dangerous and farmers don't like seeing rando cyclists out with the potential to get in their way. They are kind, no doubt, I could tell because they were very cautious around me. However; it would be easy to get lost in the dusty haze and be squashed by some behemoth machinery. 

Traveling on an East-West road was not all that bad.....

 

...It was the North-South roads which could be treacherous. 

I hung as far back from vehicles, once they passed by, as I could, but Ansborough was like a county blacktop on this particular day what with all the traffic due to harvesting. I was not comfortable here, and I was happy to turn off on Washburn Road and to get away from all of that business. 

 Like I say, I don't like riding during the harvest, but since September was essentially a no-ride month, I am behind the eight ball, as the saying goes, to get stuff done. This ride helped me out a ton in making some progress and I feel better about that. But yeah....not a fan of riding out there when harvest is in full swing. 

The good news is that it looks as though the farmers will have wrapped up activities by the end of the weekend, I would guess. Then it will return to a more normal type of traffic count and I won't feel as though I am in the way out there. 

I don't know how long this weather will hold out, and maybe things will go swing hard the other way for a bit. I don't know, but I'll grab whatever rides I can until the weather says otherwise this Fall.  

Country Views: Harvest Begins

Escape Route: Rainbow Avenue

The weather has been nicer of late, but really hot for October. We've had several 80 degree days nearly touching on 90 degrees. Not normal! 

But there has been little to no rain, the humidity has backed way off, and some days have been near perfect for cycling. Tuesday was one of those days. 

It was only in the 70's! Not too hot at all, and the wind was light. I decided to go do the "Northwest Passage" route. It takes me Northwest along the Cedar River until I get to Cedar Falls where I cross the river to the North side and then take a combination of bike trail, black top, and chip seal to get to the gravel North of town. 

This might have been the last time I wear just a Summer kit for the year as it is forecast to be actual Fall temperatures by the weekend. We'll see...... Next week might get warm again. Anyway, it felt odd to be wearing just a jersey and shorts on October 13th! 

I rode the XLBird since it has some chain lube on it I am testing along with those WTB tires. (More on those things coming soon) I regretted riding that bike afterward. You'll see why soon... 

Trolley Car Trail in Cedar Falls.

One of my favorite views in Black Hawk County

I got over to Cedar Falls alright and as I started up Big Woods Lake Trail I passed by a couple of casual e-Bikers. I turned my head back a second and out of the side of my eye I caught something bearing down on me faster than I was going. I waited and then a few seconds later I heard the tell-tale sound of an electric motor, squeaky suspension bits, and fat tires coming. E-moto kid passed me by doing at least 20 something mph. At least he had a motorcycle helmet on....

Big views

Big Chunk

With all that nearly perfect road I had last time out I knew I was not going to get that type of road surface again soon. Nope. And I was correct in my assumptions as the County had been out very recently and poured some deep, fresh gravel carpet out there to welcome me. 

One thing I noted was how differently the yellowish gravel rode compared to the whiter stuff.  It's all limestone, crushed to a certain size, and dumped across the roadway. But my wheels reacted to each type slightly differently. I thought this was interesting. By the way, it seemed Western Mount Vernon Road was of the yellow type and Eastern was the whiter, grayer type. Different quarry sources results in different types of gravel. 

At any rate, both types were rattling the crap out of me and my right shoulder was aching. Now I do not have a ShockStop stem on this bike because I don't want a black stem. The stem must be silver. I have requested a silver ShockStop stem from Redshift, by the way. Who else would buy a silver ShockStop stem? Let me know in the comments. 

 

The chunky goodness was slowing me down and working me harder. I tried getting over on the edges of the roadway where the fresh gravel stopped and there was maybe five or six inches before the grass started. But this was mostly soft. I suppose because of the recent heavy rains. The end result was that there was just no relief and I would have to power through it anyway. 

I was a bit surprised also by the lack of fields harvested. Perhaps the rains made the fields too wet and they just are not quite dried enough yet? I could see that being the case for the corn. I would imagine the soybean fields dry out more quickly. Maybe.... I don't know. I'm not a farmer. I just observe them! 

A pumpkin patch

Once I started back South again the roads were much better. I soon learned why. Harvesting traffic! The big semi-tractor trailers and these behemoth machines used to carry corn and beans were the reason why. Those vehicles just pulverize crushed rock and turn it into dust. Lots of dust!

The roads going South were much smoother.

I had to stop to let the light breeze clear the air after a behemoth machine passed me by. 

Some bizarre contraption John Deere has created passed by me and the dust storm folowing it was so thick I could not make out the road. I actually had to stop and wait several minutes for the light breeze from the Northwest to clear the air. I was glad for how the big heavy machines had crushed up the chunk, but the dust was extreme! I was a bit surprised it was this bad, to be honest. 

 

N.Y. Roll needs to explain the existence of this monster green machine to me. He works for The Big Green Tractor Company.

By the way, I think I actually got a little sunburn from this ride. It was definitely bright out, until I got back to town, that is. Then I saw the eves of a rain storm on the way. I was glad I was not still out in the country yet. Perhaps the rain will settle the dust for a bit! 

Country Views: Dusty Daze

Escape Route: Martin Luther King Jr BLVD bike path

It seems that this year will be a year book-ended by dust. We started out very dry, in a severe drought, by the way, then it flip-flopped to very wet. Now it hasn't rained in any significant amount for almost two months and everything is turning brown. The dust on the gravel roads is at about the worst levels I've seen in a while. That's saying something since we've had two and a half years of very dry conditions with a mini-break this past Summer with a few other wet spots here and there. 

The warm temperatures and every plant dying and drying down doesn't help matters. But since it has been so nice, I am still riding in Summer kit. Usually by this point I've been in tights and a vest or wind shell a few times. 

This past Friday was breezy out of the East-Southeast, so I grabbed the Tamland Two and headed out East on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the bike path there. Then it was out to the country on Newell Road.

The low angle of the Sun makes it look late but in reality it was only about 2:00pm when I took this image.

Many fields have received their Fall "hair cut".

I'm not sure what it was but the wind didn't really get to me as much as it does sometimes. Why that was I cannot say, but it felt good just to cruise into the wind at a steady pace. Now, I won't lie, it was great to turn out of the wind on Pilot Grove Road heading South. I hadn't been down that way in a while either, so it was nice to get reacquainted with the scenery.

Lounging bovines.

The corn harvest is just getting cranked up now.

I found it rather odd this day to not find anyone harvesting. I know it has been a kind of touch-and-go situation with how dry it is. There was one big field fire that destroyed a cornfield already in Iowa and several counties have instituted "burn bans" in the open due to how dry it is. 

Check out the dust hanging in the air after a vehicle had passed by this place.

You could literally see dust moving through the air in the form of clouds being driven by the steady, strong wind. My nose was getting gritty inside, and whenever a vehicle passed the dust was so thick it blinded me momentarily. Then if I was going East-West, the dust kind of hovered over the road for a bit. The wind didn't really move it off, and I was amazed by that since this was no small breeze blowing. 

A motorcyclist traveling South on McStay Road.

This was taken several minutes after I was dusted by a passing vehicle.

I figured to leave the dust behind South of Elk Run and get on pavement but it was about the least of my worries as I discovered that some of my non-driveside rear wheel spokes were unwinding themselves and causing some bad wobble. I was quite concerned, having several miles to go to get back home, but I nursed it along and eventually made it back in one piece. 

I guess I'll have to try and test the Irwin Cycles wheel set and see if it holds up, like I believe it will. Meanwhile I have  a wheel set repair to address. 

Country Views: The Man Of Dust

Escape Route: The much neglected bike path along US 218/27

 Thursday I had a hankering - and the time on my hands - to go for a nice ride in the country. The morning was grey and quite foggy, so I waited until the afternoon to ride. 

It was in the upper 80's, humid, and the breezes were out of the Southeast, but very light for the most part. I wore a typical Summer kit, but with an eye to avoid black stuff, hoping that this would keep me cooler. 

The ride was done on the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 with the new Enduro Bearings parts. I need to get on with putting that stuff to the test now. I did not use the GPS this time. I just wanted to ride. Computers are distracting to me, especially in terms of how I enjoy riding, so no GPS testing this time.

The Cedar River at Evansdale. Looking pretty poorly these days!

"First gravel" starts just up that hill ahead.

The bike trail is under construction during the weekdays which cut off my passage I normally use from Waterloo to Evansdale. So, I used some back streets to get there and then I get off Lafayette Road as soon as I can in Evansdale because it is a very busy road. I go South and cut across town on Central Avenue and then I pop out on Lafayette on the East side of that town and head on up the hill to Elk Run Heights. Then its down to a little corner where there is a subdivision called "Raymar". Once I get there it's off Eastward on Birdland Drive which turns into Young Road and gravel. Interestingly, I can ride some nice, hard-packed gravel shoulders all the way from Elk Run Heights, so gravel action starts sooner than you'd think if you are looking for it. 

Young Road is not used by many gravel riders here in the area, and that's a shame.

Partly cloudy skies provided a lot of light and shadow contrasts.

My original thoughts were to go on a different route. I had been thinking a good dirt road ride would be fun and not too taxing in the heat. I could go out Southeast of Waterloo via Evansdale and hit up those dirt roads near the CVNT and come back home. But as I was riding along, I felt inspired to head East and get on Young Road. 

Gravel taxi

Garling Road

I was calculating and recalculating my route as I went, and eventually I just resolved to head out as far East on Young Road as I could before I ran out of options to head North on gravel. That led me to Garling Road where I then headed North with an eye to eventually get to Big Rock Road and that would take me back to just North of Waterloo. 

"John's Cross" in the East ditch on Holgate Road Just South of Osage Road.

The prairie sunflowers are just starting to appear.

I was pleased to come across what I call "John's Cross" in the ditch on Holgate Road. It is a white cross made of wood with the name "John" on it with an accompanying cross alongside of it. Generally speaking, when you see this sort of memorial it is a place marker for where someone lost their life. It almost is never a grave site. 

I'm not sure what the motivation is for doing this sort of thing at the place where someone dies, almost always in an automobile accident, by the way. It's kind of like the Ghost Bike thing, but Ghost Bikes are there to raise awareness for cycling, cyclists rights, and lack of infrastructure, plus marking where someone died. I am a bit more understanding of the Ghost Bike thing. But this other practice, as in the example of "John's Cross", eludes me. Beyond the obvious demonstration of grief, that is. 

Anyway, the whole idea of this marker intrigues me to the point that I have done a few artistic studies of the place and in doing so, I have previously always forgotten to mark exactly where the crosses are. I have looked twice earlier this year and haven't found them, but on this ride, when I was not looking for them, there they are! So you can bet that I made a hard mental note of the place this time. 

"Gospel of John", pen and ink study, 2021

After that "discovery" I moved on and did a jig-a-jog over on Osage Road West to Nesbit Road North to get to Airline Road (or "Highway", depending on what map you look at). That took me over to what ended up being the most interesting, and surprising bit for the day. 

First was a dog encounter. I was coming up on a farm and I heard the big "woof! woof!" of a dog that sounded rather large. And it was! Around the corner of the driveway going into the farm came a big, furry German Shepherd dog. A male by the size of it and judging by its glorious "mane". These are not common dogs here in the country. They are extremely intelligent and if trained correctly, they can be awesome animals. However; if they came out of a police academy, or if they were trained in aggressive protection, they can be very dangerous. Which dog I had on my hands here I wasn't sure of. 

The owner was quick to be heard, which was good. The dog did not come to heel though, which indicated to me that this German Shepherd was probably not trained at all, or poorly trained. Like most dogs I encounter then.

Anyway, the owner had to come all the way out into the road, grab the dog's collar, and command it to be still before I could pass. A bit of pleasant conversation ensued. However; in my mind, that was a big fail on that dog owner's part. Do better people! 

I rode on....

A massive, old barn complex on Osage Road

This field of soybeans is looking good despite the dry weather in Iowa.

The weather this Summer has been on the dry side. June was absolutely dry. No rain to speak of, really. July saw a few good rainfalls, but lately we've fallen back into a very dry pattern and that showed in the dusty roads. None more dusty than the ones I was riding up on to finish out my loop. 

St. Francis Catholic Church on Airline Highway.

Dust fills the road behind this pick-up truck on Airline Highway.

I stopped for a rest at St. Francis Church. It was getting downright hot and the wind wasn't strong enough to bring much relief at this point in the late afternoon. I was headed West straight into the Westering Sun and the full power of the Sun's rays was brought to bear upon me. By this point, I was figuring on a few more stops before the end of the ride, just to get some relief. 

And my shoes were killing me! I have these special edition Desert RX8 Shimano shoes which Shimano graciously sent me some time ago. I rarely wear them because they are tighter than my other 46 size shoes. In fact, I am fully convinced these are really 45's. So, if you are interested in a pair of green/purple Shimano RX8's at a good price. Let me know. Seriously.... These shoes don't fit me! 

This glacial erratic is engraved with a pioneer's name and dated. You don't see that often!

Taking refuge from the Sun here on Schenk Road.

When I left St. Francis, I heard a familiar sound. It was of a small engine airplane, but it was a lot nearer to me than it should be. Then I saw it. A crop duster! It had just arrived upon the scene to spray a field just to the South of the church. It's big, swooping turns were fun to watch for a minute. Once the plane came straight over me. I saluted the pilot and moved onward. 

Then I came across a bunch of birds frolicking in the humid air. Those birds were gathering for their move Southward. The countryside is already getting quieter. This is that time of year when everything seems still and frozen in time, at least to me. The "neek-breekers" fill the air with their constant creaking, and the air gets almost stagnant at times, what with the stuffy humidity and usual lack of wind in August. 

A car leaves a dust contrail across the horizon as it scuds along Sage Road.

Remnants of dust hang in the ditches and air above Airline Highway. There is a car up the road waiting which you cannot see here.

I jigged over to Big Rock Road, then made my way over to Schenk Road, back South to Airline Highway again, and that's when I came across another bout with dust. 

There was enough traffic in the area and not enough wind that gravel dust was just hanging in the air. I met a dump truck on my final mile on Airline Highway which was raising so much dust that I could not see anything at all! I slowed down until I could make out the road again and then I saw another car waiting for the dust to clear as well so it could pass along the road. 

I haven't encountered dust like this for many a year. The climatologists indicate that we are in a moderate to severe drought here, and by the indications I see, I'd agree with their assessments. It is crazy dusty out there, and all the creeks and rivers are pretty low. 

All in all it was a great ride and I made it home. First thing I did was to get those confounded shoes off my feet! Ahh...... That's better! 

Until next time.... Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions