Seg #11 Kewash Trl 4.5/15 sm 11/1/12

Seg #11 Kewash Trail Washington, IA: 4.5/15 sm 11/1/12

Start	Keota, IA	N41.363725W91.946385	N-S miles  4.5*
End	Washington, IA	N 41.299605W91.703825	Trl lgth14mi Ride15mi

 

Bridge Engineer Mark scopes
out a railroad bridge now a
very sturdy bicycle bridge.

 This ride was a straight southeast route from Keota, Iowa to Washington, Iowa not far from Coralville. This section pretty much completes all the latitudes I can get out of Iowa. This was Mark’s third ride so he is about hooked. Unfortunately the weather is switching to late fall-like, so riding days are going to be numbered. Connie and Donna dropped Mark and me off at the Keota Trailhead and took our picture. Unfortunately the picture of us and the trail sign did not make it into the camera. We were happy to have the wind at our back the whole ride. The tailwind, reasonable fifty degree temperatures and an excellent lunch made for a pleasant day. Most all the leaves were gone but the grass was emerald green and black sketched-like tree profiles, especially the oaks, made for an artistic experience. Other than a couple of white tail deer watching us and then loping across the fields, there wasn’t much going on the Kewash Trail. Mark did have some interesting information about the bridge construction of the one and only bridge we crossed during the ride. Having devoted my entire life in the biological side of knowledge, it has been refreshing and very interesting to learn about the physical engineering side of life. While we were riding, Donna and Connie were shopping in Washington. Although Washington, Iowa would not normally be a shopping magnet, it might be for Donna in the future. She found appropriate sized shoes that she had spent months trying to find. Connie also found some comfy ones.

We had our lunch in Kalona, home of many Amish folks. Now that some of the traditions and expectations of this group has been exposed on the History Channel’s “Breaking Amish, it was interesting and tasty to have some “home-made” eating. Years ago, when I was a freshman at UNI, my roommate Ken took me to his home in Kolona. I remember how interesting it was to see horses and buggies in the streets and tied to railings in front of businesses. That was nearly sixty years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Another memorable Kolona event involved the Geoff Maze family when Kayoko’s parents from Japan visited the Midwest a couple, three years ago. After driving around Kolona, we went to the sale barn where the auctions had just completed. Granddaughters Kiara and Kari were in seventh heaven, petting the chickens, goats, calves and any other animal in close proximity. Wow, these girls are growing up fast based on their last school pictures. We need to get to California or they need to come to Iowa this summer. Maybe Geoff and Chris will do some trail riding with me.