Winter Is Here: Time to Blog

This past year's (2014) riding schedule enabled me to complete all but one trail of the central, eastern and southeastern sections of the USA. I have now completed over 85% of the latitude from the Canadian border to the Mexican border---approximately 1,800 miles. The image below shows the progress made. Completed trails are outlined in orange and trails to complete are colored green. So far I have ridden in eighteen states with four states to go (AZ, NM, UT, CA). I will be riding the majority of the remaining miles along California coastline where I must break my own rules again (see post #1 in 2012). It appears the last hundred miles or so will need to be ridden adjacent to the Pacific Coast Highway(PCH). Images on Google Earth suggest that concrete barriers separate the bike path from the highway. I hope so. Unfortunately highway 395 in the
Victorville area will require pure road biking riding on the three foot shoulder. This will be the second time I will ride a stretch of highway in my quest to get across America on trails. In Minnesota I had to ride US 71 about thirty miles since the northern third of the Blue Ox/Voyager trail was under water.

Unfortunately for most of us we have lost a month's worth of decent fall weather in 2014, especially for those living in the snow belt. Temperatures have not been conducive to bicycling. When the temperatures drop down to twenty or less wind chill degrees, I "sissyfy" and hibernate in my home/cabin hoping not to catch a fever. You know, Cabin Fever. Without winter shoe covers and novel glove combinations using hand warmers, I find it far to cold to enjoy a ride.So far the snow covered roads and trails have come and gone three or four times making bicycling a possibility. I have done ten rides since November 15th. But when the darn temperatures hover at Mt. Everest Base Camp-like levels, I sit inside posting to the blog and reading about other trails to ride besides my TAVRTO trails. In addition it's a good time to write on side bar topics and growing up stories.

When J.D. (See Segment #43) told me I needed a business card, I decided he was right on and I would put one together when it got cold. It's cold! So, I figure it is time to do a BBC (Bike Business Card). The first go a it, involved the red bike mock-up below. I thought it came out pretty good so I took my creation to Copyworks to print up a hundred or more cards. 

   

This is a mock-up for a business card I was encouraged to carry. Now when  I meet someone that appears interested  in my cross country adventure, I don't need to locate writing utensils to jot-down my blog or email address. This bicycle looks noticeably like the Trek bicycle I am riding on TAVRTO. 

I should have anticipated my plans would go array when the manager at Copyworks said they could not copy my work. What? Isn't your business copying work? I guess because the   red bicycle wasn't my original art work so they said I needed to work with a design artist to create an original card. When he said it would be $75 just to get started, I said, "no way Jose, I will do something else". Below is edition #2, an online version from Vistaprint. The price was reasonable and Vistaprint had all kinds of add on's using the logo. I ordered hats and tee shirts for Chris, Geoff and myself to don when we get to Friendship Park on the Mexican border. lf all goes well, I will get to the border this spring for a Maze boy groupie. My last TAVRTO picture.

The BBC below isn't as cool as the mock up above, but it will do. Note the # comment on the back of the card---"but it isn't possible". As I said some 75 posts back, I was hoping to cross the country west to east or visa versa. Doing that by trail was impossible as there are way too many longitude gaps to even consider an east-west route. When I researched north south trails, it appeared I could achieve my goal by expanding beyond rail trails by riding streets, community recreation trails, side walks, county roads with speed limits of 45 mph and a few miles of hiking and mountain bike trails. So, I can say at this point, one can mostly cross the country on trails, but it is impossible to make it all the way. Maybe in thirty or so years, it will be possible. Eventually, probably in another hundred years, the American Discovery Trail will connect Washington D.C. to San Francisco uninterrupted. I hope so.

Seg #51 Clarksville TN Trails Tennabama Trip 10/1-2/14

Seg #51 Streets + Upland & River Walk Trails Clarksville 10/1-2/14 

Start	Charlotte St/Upland Trl	N 36.51461  W 87.35376	N-S miles 4.4
End	Streets to Kenwood,HS	N 3.57791  W 87.38557	Trl lgth 8.5 Ride 8.5mi

Ride hr 1:07

AVS 6.9

MXS  mph 18.6

DST 8.5mi

Tmp 88

Kcal 285

The last ride on the Tennabama Trip was for me to accumulate necessary latitudes in Clarksville, Tennessee, home of Austin Peay University. I pulled into town about four in the afternoon and headed for my planned start point just off Cumberland Drive. I parked at the Ledbetter Sign Company and went inside to ask to park my car there and to get a business card with an address for the cab driver. When I asked where the bike trail started near their business, one fellow that claimed to be a regular road biker, said he knew nothing of a trail near the shop. When I rode toward what appeared to be a trail, I realized I was only riding a driveway to some back-in the woods apartment complex. Using the GPS on "Smarty Pants" (aka my smart phone), I realized that Charlotte Street was just a few hundred yards up the hill on Cumberland Drive. Charlotte Street served as a great substitute. There were no cars on this narrow street so I made good time pedaling  up to the Upland Trail and then on to the River Walk Trail. Clarksville's River Walk is not up to speed with San Antonio's River Walk but that was just fine with me because there were only a small number of people milling about enjoying a perfect day. Some folks were lazing around on picnic tables or throwing a line in the water in hopes a fish would jump on their hook. The river that runs through Clarksville is wide. Wide enough to handle a number of boats and water skiers side by side. I thought I knew the name of this river but 

The Cumberland River flows past the River Walk near down-
town Clarksville, TN. A water skier can be seen on the water.

just for blog accuracy I asked a person who said they were a native of Clarksville. When this person said the river was "the Columbia---I think", I thought that couldn't be correct. "I think" should have been the give away. Any way, the river is the Cumberland River that bends at Clarksville from a northeasterly trajectory to a southerly route. The Upland Trail connects with the River Walk Trail which makes for a scenic ride along the river front. As a former Rotarian, I was intrigued with the international focus of McGregor park where I parked my car for the second part of the ride. Flags from many foreign countries were flapping in the breeze; a peaceful and unusually serene sight. A placard

Clarksville River Walk Park was supported by Rotary Inter-
national---explaining the number of flags of other countries. 

indicated that Clarksville Rotary Club was responsible for the international flavor of the River Walk recreational area. I am proud to have been a Rotarian for twenty-five or more years. Serving as president of the Ames club was especially gratifying. As president I was able to attend the 1987 Rotary International Convention in Munich, Germany. As a side trip, Connie, Geoff and I went to Berlin to see the wall that served as such a stark reminder of the difference between democracy and communism. Connie and I had been there before when I was in the US Air Force, Azores, Portugal.  But for Geoff, at sixteen years young, seeing the wall and reading the stories of suffering of the east Germans, seemed to have a profound life long effect on him. We were in Berlin the day before president Reagan made his famous speech---"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall". Twenty-nine months later, November 9, 1989, the wall did come down. What a great moment in history. 

Austin Peay State University sits atop hills over looking the
Cumberland River below. A pretty campus and pretty setting.
Maybe it is why it is the fastest growing college in Tennessee

I had no clue where Austin Peay State University or Fort Campbell were on the map, but now I know.  Austin Peay University grew from an all male academy of a few students in the 1840's to a state university of 10,000 students today. Austin Peay, the namesake, was a Tennessee governor from Clarksville. 

Fort Campbell was always thought by me to be in Kentucky but more than half of the area of the home of the 101st Airborne Division resides in Tennessee. There was little to see beyond the brick walls that surround the post but as many as 550,000 troops call this military installation home.

I digress; back to biking. The only way I could make it to the pre-planned latitude before it got too dark to ride, I rode like heck on city streets to reach Kenwood High School in north Clarksville. A taxi cab was summoned to get me back to the car at McGregor Park. It was nearly dark so I headed out of town toward Petersburg, Illinosis as fast as possible. I hate driving at night but I made it to Illinois before I had to stop for the night. The next day I picked up Connie at Linda's and we headed back to Coralville. It rained most of the way but nothing like the severe thunder storms Mark and I drove through coming home from the Little Miami Trail in Ohio.

I am becoming a professional driver of sorts doing these TAVRTO trails. For the last four trips, 7.116 miles have been put on the car with me driving 3,353 miles alone. I am now looking at doing an Amtrak trip for the New Mexico and Arizona trails. That would leave me with California. Maybe Chris and Geoff will help me get those trails done and celebrate at the Mexican Border.  

Seg #49 & #50 Madison & Huntsville, AL Tennabama Trip 10/1-2/14

Seg #49 Bradford Ck Trail + streets of Madison AL 10/1/14 

Start	County Line Rd S	N 34.68261  W 86.78667	N-S miles 10.4
End	Bradford CK Trl	N 34.72157  W 86.78639	Trl lgth 4.1 Ride 7.9mi

Ride hr 1:07

AVS 6.9

MXS  mph 18.6

DST 7.9mi

Tmp 66

Kcal 335

Seg #50  Indian Ck Trail + streets of Huntsville AL 10/1/14 

Start	Indian Ck Grnway	N 34.70910  W 86.70136	N-S miles 10.4
End	Harvest, AL	N 34.85964  W 86.72233	Trl lgth 14.8 Ride 15.1 mi

Ride hr 3:19

AVS 8.6

MXS  mph 20.9

DST15.1 mi

Tmp 86

Kcal 440

This was the third time I bundled a trip to Petersburg, Illinois with pre-planned trail rides; this time, in Alabama and Tennessee---affectionately named the Tennabama trip as opposed to the HomaTex trip (see Segments 43-48). Petersburg was  nearly a third

Connie visited Linda and Don in Petersburg while 
I rode trails in Tennessee and Alabama. 

of the way to Huntsville, Alabama. I kept driving another six hundred miles, arriving in Huntsville as dark was closing in. I was too tired and night time trail riding was too risky. It was still dark in the morning when I headed for the first trailhead. The coordinates I had plugged into Trixie (car GPS), were spot on for the Bradford Creek Trail. It was rush hour so going slow enough to find the trail-head participated a bally of toots from irritated morning commuters. 

The Bradford Creek Trail presented a couple of 

firsts. The trail was marked differently than I have 

seen. It is common to have a painted line down 

the middle of a paved trail but not a more narrow 

walk path (left  36") versus a wider bike side (60"). 

Another first is the small white sign  (left) that 

says "BEWARE of  SNAKES". I think the

sign should have read "BEWARE of HUMANS"   

There were multiple cars parked at the trail-head so I knew I wasn't going to be the only soul on the trail. Even though there were plenty of people to slow for, I made good time riding  the trail and then extending on to the County Line Road to knock down latitude overlapping a trail in Santa Cruz, California. 

The next trail of the Tennabama trip was another Huntsville area ride. I found the Indian Creek Greenway Trail about 10 a.m. The farthest south this trail runs is Old Madison Pike Road in Madison, Alabama. There was a problem getting on the trail , the path was not accessible. In fact the whole bridge at trail-head, at Old Madison Pike Road, was gone. Work crews were in the process of building a new four lane bridge. It looks like it will be a long time before this project is done. This disruption necessitated me riding steep hills to find another trail access point. After a mile diversion, I was back on the Indian Creek Greenway. I could only ride about

This trail was very similar to the Bradford Creek  Greenway.
Once  these trails are connected, I imagine Madison and
Huntsville will become a destination for trail riders afar.

three miles to the end of the trail and then I needed to turn around. Fortunately I found a piece of the trail that led to a park full of play equipment, sort of a public-private park for those living at the end of the cul-de-sac. The only way out of this dead-end situation was to either go back to where I started or ride city streets and head-out for the north piece of the Indian Creek Greenway, north of Highway  72.  I was fortunate to hail down two road bikers to ask about how to find the north section of the trail. They suggested I forget going to the north section since it was less than a mile in length. They also warned me about the unfriendliness of Slaughter Road; the direct route to cross Highway 72. Despite their suggestions, I decided to push on. After riding through Potters Mill Development, I was on Slaughter Road, probably the most egregious breaking of my self imposed rules for riding trails only. Because the speed limit was 45 miles per hour and the traffic was light,  I was able to ride the white line at the very edge of the road hoping everyone would give me a break. They did. I rode farther north than necessary because I wasn't confident I would find the small section of Indian Creek Greenway just north of Highway 72. I called a cab and he gave me a lift to the remaining short segment of the trail. I rode the remaining latitudes mostly on city streets and sidewalks to an Exon station where I caught another cab back to the car. By two o'clock the bike was back on the car and I was on the road to Clarksville, Tennessee for the final segment of the Tennabama Trip. 

Seg #48 Trinity TrailFt. Worth, Tx Homatex 9/18/14

Seg #47 Trinity Trail Ft Worth, TX  Homatex 9/18/14 

Start	NE 23rd St	N 32.78602  W 97.33838	N-S miles 9.7
End	Dirks Rd	N 32.64684 W 97.42847	Trl lgth 9.7 Ride 13.4 mi

Ride hr 1:19

AVS 7.6

MXS  mph 13.5

DST13.4 mi

Tmp 83

Kcal 500

After a super room and a great night's sleep in Dallas, I drove to Ft. Worth through all kinds of road construction and rush hour traffic. It reminded me of driving through Memphis, Tennessee  in 2006 on our way to Augusta, Georgia. Too much traffic at race track speeds. As far as I am concerned these cities are worse than Los Angeles.  

Like all the other trails I have mapped out before leaving home, I used coordinates ascertained from Google Earth going directly to Trinity Trailhead  north. This trailhead was sort a desolate location without parking or toilet facilities. There was one building, Precision Tools, nearby so I went in and found a single person working. I asked him if I could park in his small lot. He was polite fellow and kind to let me park my car. He gave me a business card with the correct address to give the cab driver to transport me back to the car. 

This photo verifies my bike at the
north end of the trail. I peddled  9.7
miles south of here on a nice trail.

Some of the Ft. Worth skyline from the
Trinity Trail. The beautiful  parks
associated with the trail makes the
condos, across the way, expensive

 The Trinity Trail snakes along the Trinity River for six or seven miles, making for a flat and pretty trail. If not for the headwind, I think I could have averaged more than nine miles per hour. As it was I was able to get to the south end of the trail just after lunch time. A taxi ride back to Precision Tools recharged my motor. I was headed back to Iowa by three o'clock, making it to Perry, Oklahoma Thursday night and rest of the way home by Friday evening. There was a lot of driving, 1843 miles, for one fellow but the whole trip went very smoothly. Next ride will be to fill in the gaps of latitude riding trails in and around Clarksville, Tennessee. The gaps occurred due to my inability to get to North Carolina riding the beach in the False Cape State Park (see segment #37).

These bike rent stations are becoming the rage, especially along trails within
major cities. I saw similar bike rental opportunities in Minneapolis, MN and
Madison,WI. You insert your credit card and it unlocks a bicycle. You
then either ride to another station a park or ride back to the original station.
I didn't have time to determine the cost of credit card rental but I understand
it is free for the first thirty minutes, $1.50 for the next thirty and $3.00 per hour.

Seg #47 Cottonwood, White Rock Creek, White Rock Lake & SantaFe Trails Dallas, TX 9/17/14 Homatex Trip

Start	Cotton Wood Trail	N 35.47863  W 97.38841	N-S miles 12.3
End	Tx State Fair	N 35.43511 W 97.37061	Trl lgth 17 Ride 18.8 m

Ride hr 2:11

AVS 8.3

MXS  16.5

DST 18.8 mi

Tmp 83

Kcal 835

After Katy Trail # 2 in Oklahoma, I was off to Dallas, Texas. I drove to Richardson, Texas and parked the car at Creekside Baptist Church. I didn't have water in my bottles so I ventured inside the church and called out, "hello, is anyone here". There was a car near the front door so I figured someone was there, but no one answered my call. I went into the restroom and filled my water bottles.When I came out of the restroom Lo and behold there was a gentleman setting up a circle of chairs and the end of the sanctuary. I jumped in surprise and so did he. I apologized for the scare and said I had called out earlier but no one answered. He forgave me and  wished me well on crossing the country on trails. I am forever grateful to Pastor Cargile for his kindness, fresh water and well wishes. 

This verification mugshot serves to validate my "Beem There,
Done That" at the Cotton Wood Trail Head.

Beautiful clouds float over White Rock Lake, a 1,254 acre
reservoir only a few miles from downtown Dallas. The trail
skirts the west side of the lake making for a cooler ride.

I rode from the church through a quiet neighborhood that connected with the Cottonwood Creek Trail. The residential streets I rode were like many streets in Dallas and Ft. Worth with signage indicating one lane is for motor vehicles and the outside lane for parking and bicycle riding. Not all streets and roads are designated as such, yet groups of riders that give bicyclists a bad name, were out in droves near White Rock Lake, riding four and five abreast and holding up traffic. I think it is rude for these fanatics to hog the road especially when there is an eight foot paved trail juxtapositioned only a few feet from the road. Yes bicyclists have equal right to the road, but too often a group can be obnoxious as hell. Red-necked A-holes shouting out obscenities to small groups and single riders riding on the shoulder or crossing a highway. Since Chris and my ride near the Canadian Border, I have not heard one negative word---hope that continues. The Cottonwood Creek Trail changed to the White Rock Creek Trail ; then the White Rock Lake Trail and finally the Santa Fe trail. Over half of these trails ran through parks that made the ride very enjoyable sans the twelve mile per hour headwind. After reaching the southwest corner of White Rock Lake, the trail headed toward downtown Dallas. When I got to the junction of the of the interstate and several other major roadways, I took a picture of what appeared be a four level interchange like I drove when living in the Santa Monica, California. I am intrigued by the engineering skills needed to develop such a complex network of super highways.

Four levels of roadway is viewed from the Santa Fe Trail.
I was impressed with the art work shown to the right of the
trail. I didn't realize I was close to Baylor Medical Center. I
should have stopped to say hi to Brad Crump, periodontist.

  After I assured I had made it to the necessary latitude, I started to look for a good spot to call a cab to get me back to the car. I started riding toward the Cotton Bowl and found the back entrance to the Texas State Fair. I don't think I was supposed to be inside the gates but it was obvious the opening of the fair was a week or more away. There were a few people working to adjust lights, operate water fountains and cleaning buildings in preparation of a big event. This fair is largest in the United States and must be one of the largest fairs in the world, given it runs for four weeks and boasts an attendance of 2.5 million . The Iowa State Fair for example runs for ten days and has less than half the attendance. I think it would be fun to go to the Texas State Fair but I doubt Connie would be interested in such an event. I remember going to the Iowa State Fair to help my dad set-up displays of apples from our orchard. I know he received a few blue ribbons and several second place honors. It was enjoyable to see my dad's face when he saw the blue ribbons. I never saw him smile a lot but the ribbons, especially the blue ones were a treasure. .

My bike leaning against the barricade to the right is dwarfed by the mega
sign at the enterance to the State Fair of Texas. Everything has to be big in
Texas including a 212 foot Ferris Wheel and 500 foot observation tower. It 
took an hour to get a taxi back to my car. The cab was designed for wheel 
chairs which was perfect for hauling my bike. I don't think they charged extra.

Seg #46 Katy Trail #2 OKC Homatex Trip 9/17/14

Seg #46 Katy Trail #2 OKC 9/17/14  Homatex 9/17/14 

Start	NE10th	N 35.47863  W 97.38841	N-S miles 2
End	N MidWest Blvd	N 35.43511 W 97.37061	Trl lgth 3.7 Ride 8.7 mi

Ride hr 1:07

AVS 6.1

MXS  mph 14.4

DST 8.7 mi

Tmp 83

Kcal 397

After a nights sleep that was not that good---too much spaghetti and meat balls, I headed for the second section of the Katy Trail an hour later than I planned. Currently the Katy trail through Oklahoma City is interrupted by downtown freeways and rail-banked right of way. I drove to the head of Katy Trail # 2 that match latitude with the end of trail # 1 (see Segment # 45). I was an hour later than I planned due to a raving heartburn. Too bad I had eaten all the apples I had brought with me. An apple will knock a heartburn ten times better than antacids.  It was perfect riding weather to ride out four plus miles and then back to the car by 11:30 a.m. I was great to see gasoline prices going for #2.86 a gallon---I wonder if I will ever see gas below $3 again? I took a picture just in case. I remember the gas rationing of the seventies when we lived in Sepulveda, California. The price then was around S1.75 and folks were limited to so many gallons a trip to the station (ten I think). Cars were lined up two blocks or more in front of our house. Back then the government was promising us we would become self-sufficient within ten years. Hmm?!  I don't remember much about the trail or ride. Pretty routine I guess. 

Oklahoma City and Tulsa sold the cheapest gas I have seen in the past decade. This station posted $2.89 but I saw signs

professing $2.86 as the lowest price. Thank goodness there have been inroads  made into alternate sources of energy. Wind farms and solar panels have expanded greatly with competitive technologies --- hopefully America will stop being

 held hostage to the middle east oil. This world is a mess having to deal with Islamic terrorists and corrupt leaders such as  Hussein, Bin Laden, Abu Bakr al-Baghadadi, Assad and on and on.. Hell's bells, I even support the Keystone Pipeline  Better to risk to the environment verses 911's, multiple wars and  beheading of innocent Americans. Oil dependence no more please! Bicycles Forever---no gas, no pollution, no noise, no congestion---a healthier population. Go figure and jump aboard.

Seg #45 Katy Trail #1 Firefighters Museum, OKC 9/16 Homatex

Seg #45 Katy Trail #1 Fire Fighters Museum OKC 9/16/14 

Start	I-44 OKC	N 35.53218 W 97.48346	N-S miles 4,2
End	NE 4th St OKC	N 35.47147 W 97.46997	Trl lgth 5.3mi Ride11.2mi

Ride hr 1:20

AVS 8.5

MXS  mph 21.5

DST11.2 mi

Tmp 85

Kcal 433

The cab got me back to the car with nearly two hours of sunlight available. Off I went riding the Katy Trail south. The feature of note on this ride was visiting the Oklahoma Firefighter Museum. Given I live just three miles from the Iowa Firefighters Museum in Coralville and Geoff's father-in-law Yoshiharu was chief of the largest fire department in Tokyo, Japan, I am more than moved by heroism these people espouse. An American that was trapped in the horror of 911, escaped New York City by renting a car and driving back to his home in Colorado. He saw a sign on Interstate 80 identifying the  Iowa Firefighters museum in Coralville. He could not help but stop and leave a letter of appreciation for all firefighters. What a moving piece of history enshrined  at the Iowa museum.

Oklahoma Firefighters Museum on the right and the memorial to the Fallen
and Living is to the left. I wish I had taken a close up of this sculpture that
depicts a fireman chopping a hole in the roof and pulling a child toward him.

Placards on the grounds of the Oklahoma museum commemorated the courage of these pro-fessionals. It was nearing sunset so I took some pictures and headed on down the trail. I was able to get to the proper latitude and then headed back to the car just as it was getting dark. 

Seg #44 Lake Heffner Trail & McArthur Ave, OKC 9/16/14 Homatex

Seg #44 Lake Heffner Trail & McArthur Ave, OKC  9/16/14 

Start	Lake Heffner (S) OKC	N 35.53141 W 97.60099	N-S miles 11.5
End	McArth&W'loo OKC	N 35.72595 W 97.62061	Trl lgth 17.4mi Ride17.3mi

Ride hr 1:20

AVS 8.6

MXS  mph 20.3

DST17.3 mi

Tmp 87

Kcal 1040

Several of the Oklahoma trails particularly in Tulsa
and Oklahoma City had interstate-like paths, where
non-bicyclists were able stroll on one path, while
bikes were free to fly down wide, well marked trails
as is shown above.

I got to Lake Heffner in Oklahoma City in the mid-afternoon. If I rode faster than my eight mile per hour average and called a cab to get back to my car, running out of light was not an issue. And that was pretty much the way it went. It was hot (89) but I had a tail wind so I made good time without becoming exhausted. In fact, I had enough light to do a section of the Katy Trail after Lake Heffner. In order to meet my goal of overlapping the next northern latitude, I needed to ride McArthur Avenue north of the Lake Heffner trail to Waterloo Road. Initially there was a small shoulder and sparse traffic but after a couple miles, the shoulder shrunk and the traffic increased. I had to ride four miles on a street that I felt unsafe. I was just glad I called a cab get back to the car. 

Here I am at a rural animal feed distributor. Milling around
this business brought back my farm days buying chicken
feed from the Carroll Roller Mills in Carroll, Iowa

It was fairly rural by the time I got to the designated latitude straight west of Edmond, Oklahoma. To get an address for the taxi, I had to ride back to D.C. Feeds. The cabby was from Bangladeshi. He joined the guys from Cario, Nigeria and Senegal. All of the managers and desk clerks were from India. What small world we live in.