May 24, 2010
Day 7 - ending at La Porte City, Iowa
rode on Cedar River Trail (Iowa), Cedar Valley Nature Trail
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I was awake at 6:00am, thanks to someone's radio that was really loud. But that worked OK for me.
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I ate breakfast (Pop Tarts and Starbucks Doubleshot), broke camp, and was on my way walking up the road from Tailwater East at 8:52am. During my planning, I wasn't happy with the route for this morning, which would take me south when I wanted to go north. But it wasn't so bad. Here are some flowers I saw along the way.
I tried to find a place open to eat in Solon, but I was too early. So I took a break instead at their park on the west side of town (Randall Park) at 10:17am.
At 10:37am, I came to a road I planned to take. After checking the GPS map, for some reason, I felt there was no other reasonable way than to take this road, even though it was closed. [I see now, that there was another way.]
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There were workers down a ways, but they didn't stop me. In fact, they stayed out of the way for me. Here's the road farther down.
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At 11:50am, thanks to waypoints loaded on the GPS, I found a place to get on the Cedar River Trail (at the north end of Ely Road).
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There was even a box for holding trail maps there! I got the last one.
It was good to be back on a bike trail.
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At 12:22pm I stopped at Osborn Park. During my break, a fellow on a 1974 Schwinn stopped by (I don't know bikes that well, I asked). His name was Bud, and he held a wealth of knowledge about the area the park was located in, which used to be a Czech neighborhood. I write 'used to be' because the June 2008 flood had turned the neighborhood into blocks of mostly abandoned houses and buildings. It was sad to hear about the changes, but Bud's description of how it used to be made it easy to picture the area years ago. Bud wanted to know where I was headed, so I showed him Laurens on my Iowa bike map. In past years, Bud had been on two across-US bike trips. Though, he said he did it the easy way - staying in motels. Even so, I can't imagine it being too easy on that Schwinn he was on. I asked about places up the trail to eat. He mentioned a Dairy Queen right on the trail in Hiawatha. That gave me a goal, as we parted at 12:51pm.
It didn't take me long after that to get lost, thanks to a closed section of trail. I walked for a ways, feeling quite out-of-place in, what looked to me like, downtown Cedar Rapids. I was back on the trail at 1st Avenue E and 4th Street SE. Then near Collins Highway, I wandered off again, thinking the trail had ended for a while (it had for me). I reconnected just in time, since the Dairy Queen was in sight on the left.
Arriving at 2:20pm, I enjoyed their air conditioning while eating a Bacon Cheese Grillburger, French fries, and drinking large amounts of root beer. I left at 3:15pm, happy to be back on the trail, which had turned into the Cedar Valley Nature Trail at Boyson Road.
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It was easy going on the trail - I like it when I don't have to think (about routes).
I took a break in Urbana at 6:03pm, and ate some nuts and snack bars Tahdra had bought for me before the trip.
It was getting toward evening when I rode through Brandon. There was a group of teenaged boys and girls on the trail on the west side of town. As they parted to let me by, one of them using a deep voice yelled out, "ORANGE JUICE!"
I had to leave the trail at 7:48pm, due to a trail bridge out ahead, which I knew was coming.
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I was getting tired and the detour roads had hills - at least they seemed like hills to me. Finally, I was coasting downhill toward McFarlane Park.
I arrived at 8:40pm, picked out site #18, and self-registered. Setting up the tent and a shower completed my evening.
Subject: Jeff report
Sent [by Tahdra]: Monday, 5-24-2010, 11:13 PM
Jeff arrived and set up camp at McFarlane Park, La Porte City. He had a long day of 72 miles. Sitting in Dairy Queen their sign flashed 91 degrees. ~Tahdra
Day Seven: 72 miles in 11 hours, 48 minutes = 6.1 mph average progress.
Spent: $4.58 (lunch) + $17 (campsite fee) = $21.58.
Today's ride: 72 miles (116 km)
Total: 340 miles (547 km)
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