May 25, 2010
Day 8 - ending at Cedar Falls, Iowa
rode on Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Cedar Valley Lakes Trail Network
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I woke up at 5:10am, and got out of the tent to take some pictures.
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My weather radio indicated there was some rain in the area. Near 7:00am and again around 8:00am, there were thunderstorms. So I took a nap in the tent. After a while, it felt like I was lying on a water bed. The rain finally ended, so I packed up the wet tent at 10:15am. There was water on the ground cloth, which reminded me that it's important to tuck in the edges of the ground cloth if rain is expected.
At 11:30am, I headed out. The trail from here west was open.
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It was quiet and peaceful, and looked like the rain might be over. Here's a picture looking behind to the east.
I found a place to eat in LaPorte City - LaPorte City Bakery - at 12:05pm. I sat at a table by the front window, and drank a root beer while I waited for my order - a tenderloin sandwich with onion rings. Later I ordered another root beer. There was a television on a platform mounted above the front doorway, and it was tuned to the Weather Channel. I kept jumping up when they showed the radar map. I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like the rain was done for this area.
I left at 12:45pm, shortly thereafter stopping at Gary's Thriftway grocery store. My main objective was to buy a sewing kit to repair the pants I'd ripped while getting out of the tent a few days back. I found a kit, and also bought a few other items: a six-pack of cinnamon applesauce cups, two cans of Beanee Weenees (beans with sliced hot dogs), and a bag of butterscotches.
At 1:18pm, I was back on the trail.
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Gilbertville is another location where there's a depot of the 'Cedar Valley Road'.
Knowing from pre-trip research that the trail bridge at Evansdale had been washed away, I turned off the Cedar Valley Nature Trail at 2:39pm, heading west on East Shaulis Road. What I hadn't planned as thoroughly, was that East Shaulis Road ended at Hawkeye Road. Pedaling south, west and north got me to West Shaulis Road, where a trail paralleled the road on the north side.
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Just past Highway 63, I connected with the Sergeant Road Trail. I was on this trail longer than I expected, due to a detour of the Cedar Prairie Trail.
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The detour reconnected to the Cedar Prairie Trail, after bypassing a missing bridge, I suspect.
I eventually arrived in Cedar Falls, home of another location I wanted to visit - the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).
My mother had attended here, back when the school was Iowa State Teachers College.
Trails in Cedar Falls are nice, but I was a little confused at times on where they were and where they went. After crossing University Street, I took to walking on the west sidewalk along Main Street. There was a Tropical Sno shack just before the bridge across Dry Run Creek. I stopped there at 5:30pm for a medium-sized cup of favored ice. It was very good.
A left turn after the bridge (which had a pedestrian/bike lane) got me headed toward the campus. I followed a path southwest through a garden area. That took me to what would have been an easier way across (under) University Avenue.
Heading back west on West 26th Street, I passed several curb-side piles of couches, easy chairs, floor lamps, and the like in front of fraternity houses, reminding me what time-of-year it was.
At 5:57pm I was at one of the main campus buildings.
I proceeded west, to get pictures of one of the dorms my mom had stayed in.
Grabbed pictures of a few other building along the way.
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I could hear the bell tower to the south, which made me notice how late it was getting.
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I stopped by to check out the one-room school house on campus, but a meeting was going on inside at the time. The information sign stated that this schoolhouse's original location was near Laurens!
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A quick picture of the 'UNI-Dome', and I was back on my way, heading east.
OK, one more picture of Bartlett Hall (from the northwest).
Now to focus my attentions on getting north through the city to Black Hawk Park, where I intended to camp. I decided to go with the bike trails, rather than my road-based GPS waypoints, and that led me across the river on a nice trail bridge, which was part of the South Riverside Trail. Then I proceeded along a great path that followed the northeast bank of the river.
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The Big Woods Trail and the Lone Tree Road Trail got me to Black Hawk Park at 7:26pm. It took me till 7:40pm to select 'the best' campsite. After the tent was up I had supper: Beanee Weenees, sardines, crackers, applesauce, and a Sierra Mist from the soda machine at the walk-through area of the restroom/shower house. This building is on pillars above the lake that splits the two main camping areas of Black Hawk Park. Stairways from each camping area rise over the lake to the building.
It was getting dark toward the west, and I started hearing thunder. My weather radio indicated severe storms in the area. It was bedtime, so the timing was good. I called Tahdra to give her my daily report for email-relaying, and talked a little about the coming storm before saying goodbye.
Subject: Jeff report
Sent [by Tahdra]: Tuesday, 5-25-2010, 11:16 PM
Jeff arrived and set up tent at Black Hawk Park, Cedar Falls. On the way he visited the campus of the University of Northern Iowa where his mom went to school. He went forty miles today. ~ Tahdra
Day Eight: 41 miles in 8 hours, 10 minutes = 5.0 mph average progress.
Spent: $7.80 plus $2 (lunch) + $7.24 (groceries) + $3.35 (sewing kit) + $2.50 (snow cone) + $13 (camping fee) + $1.25 (soda) = $37.14.
Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 381 miles (613 km)
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