LMQC Boomer Blogger Alan Sivell took to the open road and discovered a little-used bike trail that’s fun to ride and offers a great view of the fall’s colors.
By Alan Sivell
I’m always looking for new places to ride my bike. Especially in the late fall, when everything just seems to get prettier and more precious, and I’m tired of my summer routine.
To aid in my search, I subscribe to several websites that feature fitness/bike trails around the country. Yes, while others may satisfy their leisure fantasies by researching fun in the sun resorts or cultural capitols, I get off on reading about abandoned rail lines that have been converted to safe spaces to ride my bike.
My go-to is TrailLink.
Sometimes, you just need to go off the beaten path.
But I didn’t discover my latest find on the internet. I found it wandering the back roads home from Cedar Rapids. Well, I wasn’t exactly wandering. I was aiming for Ely because an ice cream cone at Dan and Debbie’s Creamery is a must if you are anywhere nearby. It’s worth the extra time on the bike or the gym to offset it.
While I sat on the deck enjoying the ice cream, I kept seeing bikes zip by about a block away. It became obvious that there was a path there, but I didn’t know where it started or ended. Too often, small towns have bike paths that are only a mile or two in length.
I decided to follow it south out of town and found it ran the entire six miles to Solon.
A little pre-ride research pays off.
Since I like to look at a map before I travel, whether it’s by car or bike, I got on the internet when I got home. I was determined to ride this trail while the beautiful fall weather still permitted.
But it took a while to find it. That’s because it’s part of three different trails.
One of the bike rides I found was the Cedar Valley Nature Trail
It’s a 69-mile trail that runs from Waterloo through Cedar Rapids down to Ely.
Ok. But I wanted to see the trailhead in Solon on the map.
I finally found it. THAT section is part of the Hoover Nature Trail
And THAT trail intersects with the Solon – Lake McBride Nature Trail
So confusing.
The Solon trail is closer than you think.
Anyway, the new extension brings it down to Solon, which brings it even closer to Quad Citians in search of a new bike path to try. And it definitely is worth a try. The roadway is smooth and fast with no hills to speak of. And if you like to ride out in the middle of nowhere, this is the trail for you. I’m not sure how busy the trail is on weekends, but riding midweek and in the late morning, I encountered about five people.
The ride from Solon to Cedar Rapids is about 16 miles. My destination in Cedar Rapids was the NewBo City Market where there are more than a half dozen interesting places to grab a quick bite, including pizza, Mediterranean, gumbo, BBQ, and more.
I envy the people 20 years in the future when all these trails are completed, and the maps are as accurate and detailed as Rand-McNally Interstate Atlas.
By Alan Sivell
I’m always looking for new places to ride my bike. Especially in the late fall, when everything just seems to get prettier and more precious, and I’m tired of my summer routine.
To aid in my search, I subscribe to several websites that feature fitness/bike trails around the country. Yes, while others may satisfy their leisure fantasies by researching fun in the sun resorts or cultural capitols, I get off on reading about abandoned rail lines that have been converted to safe spaces to ride my bike.
My go-to is TrailLink.
Sometimes, you just need to go off the beaten path.
But I didn’t discover my latest find on the internet. I found it wandering the back roads home from Cedar Rapids. Well, I wasn’t exactly wandering. I was aiming for Ely because an ice cream cone at Dan and Debbie’s Creamery is a must if you are anywhere nearby. It’s worth the extra time on the bike or the gym to offset it.
While I sat on the deck enjoying the ice cream, I kept seeing bikes zip by about a block away. It became obvious that there was a path there, but I didn’t know where it started or ended. Too often, small towns have bike paths that are only a mile or two in length.
I decided to follow it south out of town and found it ran the entire six miles to Solon.
A little pre-ride research pays off.
Since I like to look at a map before I travel, whether it’s by car or bike, I got on the internet when I got home. I was determined to ride this trail while the beautiful fall weather still permitted.
But it took a while to find it. That’s because it’s part of three different trails.
One of the bike rides I found was the Cedar Valley Nature Trail
It’s a 69-mile trail that runs from Waterloo through Cedar Rapids down to Ely.
Ok. But I wanted to see the trailhead in Solon on the map.
I finally found it. THAT section is part of the Hoover Nature Trail
And THAT trail intersects with the Solon – Lake McBride Nature Trail
So confusing.
The Solon trail is closer than you think.
Anyway, the new extension brings it down to Solon, which brings it even closer to Quad Citians in search of a new bike path to try. And it definitely is worth a try. The roadway is smooth and fast with no hills to speak of. And if you like to ride out in the middle of nowhere, this is the trail for you. I’m not sure how busy the trail is on weekends, but riding midweek and in the late morning, I encountered about five people.
The ride from Solon to Cedar Rapids is about 16 miles. My destination in Cedar Rapids was the NewBo City Market where there are more than a half dozen interesting places to grab a quick bite, including pizza, Mediterranean, gumbo, BBQ, and more.
I envy the people 20 years in the future when all these trails are completed, and the maps are as accurate and detailed as Rand-McNally Interstate Atlas.
Alan Sivell
St. Ambrose Professor, Pizza-lover, Bulge Battler
Alan is a communications professor at St. Ambrose University and a former reporter for WQAD-TV who has exercised – and dieted – his entire life.
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