New member sort of - pat alexander

[Don Peterson]

Pat,

Your experience by the railroad track reminds me of one of the first times I road with clipless pedals. But that's a bit of a long story and probably better suited for a campfire tale. Although my final orientation was similar to yours: tangled in the bike, feet in the air, head on ground -- good thing I was wearing a helmet.

 

[Phil]

One time out at Argonne Laboratories

Pat,

Off the subject, but, I have a college buddy that ended up at Argonne.  Jim Jorgenson.

Phil

 

[Don Peterson]

One time out at Argonne Laboratories

Pat,

Off the subject, but, I have a college buddy that ended up at Argonne.? Jim Jorgenson.

Phil

Pat & Phil,
Small world -- my brother-in-law works at Argonne. I used to live in Willowbrook, just a couple of miles north off of route 83.
Don

 

[Pat]

Cook County Forest Preserve runs the bike trail around Argonne.  The basic trail - 8' wide crushed limestone, few hills - is about 10 miles around, and there are some mowed grass trails that take it up to 13 miles.  It's a really nice trail, so I figured when I was retired, I was going to park my RV out by Waterfall Glen (the official name of that forest preserve, which circles the Labs), get a temp job at Argonne, and ride.  Didn't work out, but I enjoy the Pemberton Trail here north of Fountain Hills in McDowell Mtn Park even more. 

I use clipless pedals, which I far prefer to platform pedals or clips.  Occasionally I don't get out of them in time which has exacerbated a few falls.  I got a new front tire that eats its way through sand much better than the old one, so I haven't fallen lately.  And I'm going faster. 

Probably my most stupid fall was going down a tiny roadside dip at Argonne, and I took the wrong hand off the wrong brake to mark a GPS point.  One should never brake the front wheel on a downhill.  Surprised me how fast I ended up over the handlebars.  Then there was the time they were looking for a dead body...

 

[Don Peterson]

I was just out at Waterfall Glen last summer taking nature pictures for a photo class. Didn't come across the bike path, but that sure is a pretty wild area around the lab. Thick with prairie flowers and grasses in the savannah-like area where we were shooting.

I live in St. Charles right off the Fox River and there is access to a couple of hundred miles of bicycle path available just two blocks from where I live. I don't know when you were here, but they just completed the Grand Illinois Trail which uses some of the Fox River Trail system. It is about a 500-mile loop that goes from Chicago, up through Rockford, out to Galena, then down to the Starved Rock area in Utica and back to Chicago. I have ridden some of it, but have not made the whole loop ......... yet. Here's a link to some info about the trail, if you want to have a look: Grand Illinois Trail

Don

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Pat,

Sorry but I didn't make them up. Actually it's Inyokern which I'll explain in my message about the flowers here. The Panamint mountains line the western edge of Death Valley. The elevation here is too high for me as well. I like riding on flat land. I've seen those tumbleweeds and they can wreak havoc on a cyclist!

 

[Jim Dick]

Don,

I mount and dismount as you do. Lean the bike and easily clear the top tube. I also do the same on the tandem. Makes it easier for my wife to mount also. One thing you and Pat might consider is a 'bent. I often wonder how recumbents are on the road. Seems like all riders that have them really love them. I know some can really move out!

 

[Pat]

Don:  The 8' wide path is multi-use at Waterfall Glen.  There has been so much housing construction that the path has lost much of its forest feeling.  You're near the Prairie Path in St. Charles?  Near Glen Ellyn or Wheaton?  Is the 500 mile trail mostly dirt?  Have you tried the I&M Canal trail?  That goes on for 60 or 100 miles. 

I far prefer the arroyo riddled desert trails here, I must admit.  The Pemberton Trail in McDowell Park is like a roller coaster.  It's about the only one I can ride, though.  The rest are too difficult. 

If you're a recumbent or road or tandem biker, you'd love the miles and miles of paved forest roads where I summer.  No cars.  It's like riding through a canopy of trees, with the Willamette River on one side and hillside on the other.  Really nice.  Oakridge OR.

--pat

 

[Jim Dick]

Pat,

That trail sounds great! We'll be in the area in two weeks but it's probably too early for a ride. We're having work done on our coach in Junction City.

 

[Don Peterson]

Pat,

Yes, I have ridden the I&M Canal Trail from Channahon to Utica, a distance of about 55 miles. We were doing an "annual" ride to Starved Rock State Park, which is just south of Utica. We would start out on Friday morning, ride to the park and stay at the very fine lodge there until Sunday. Then we would ride back to our starting point. (The "annual" thing only lasted four years, though...) I have also ridden the Hennepin Canal trail, which is just west of the bend where the Illinois River makes a sharp turn to the south. It is a very nice ride on crushed gravel that was once the mule trail for the canal. The mules toted the barges that traveled along the canal from Lake Michigan to La Salle where they unloaded their goods to boats in the Illinois River. Quite a bit of history there, and a very nice bike ride. Here's a link to more info on the canal: I&M Canal Corridor Association

I have ridden the arroyos around Phoenix a number of times. My mom and two brothers live in the area and I go down there at least once a year. For the past few years my rather large family (eleven kids) descends on Peoria, AZ for a bit of a reunion on Mother's Day. This year I will be there for Mother's Day, but plan to make it part of my summer road trip, too. I know, I know -- Phoenix in the summer is not a good idea, but even though I am a Midwesterner, I like the dry desert heat. I once rode my bicycle from Sun City to the White Tank mountains and back in a day, a one-way distance of about 20 miles, during the month of June. The temps got up to 115 degrees that day -- lot's o' Gatorade on that ride! Plus, after riding around in the park, I had picked up some cactus needles in my tires -- too many to patch -- and had to stop every few miles to pump my tires back up.

The trails around Oakridge sound appealing, too. I was going to try to get to BC this summer too, so m'be I will be able to stop there as well.

 

[Pat]

Don:  I ride on tubeless tires here.  Carefree. 

--pat