December 31. 2011

Last ride of the year. Over 3,000 in 2011. Setting odometer back to zero for tomorrow.

December 19, 2011

So little light even at 2:00 in the afternoon.
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December 17, 2011

A month ago there were trees over there.
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December 12, 2011

Thousands of geese.
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December 1, 2011

I stopped to watch the demolition of the most famous house flooded in the 2008 deluge, restored, and then bought by the city with FEMA money to be leveled... when a jogger who looked and ran exactly like Woody Allen passed in front of me, turned to me, and ,with out braking his stumbling stride, said with a frown, "A million dollar house." I understood his sorrow.

As of today's ride, I have fulfilled all of my goals: I have biked in all 12 months of 2011 (rides of 20 miles or more),  biked a day of RAGBRI, and, on Labor Day, road a 100 miles in one day. I've logged 2,800 miles this year and hope to keep it up right until January 1st. 3,000 miles would be nice.

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November 30, 2011

Last day of November ride.
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November 25, 2011

Another house ready to be demolished 3.5 years after the flood. It was fixed up after the waters receded. It was on the market for years at 1 million dollars.

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November 23, 2011

The less glamorous side of Christmas Tree shopping at the Dairy Queen.
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November 21, 2011

It looks like the Iowa City Human Society building is coming down soon.  From what I saw today, I believe that the fire department has been using the roof for practice. I think they are the cause of all of the holes.

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November 18, 2011

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November 14, 2011

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November 7, 2011

November 1, 2011

Temps in the lower 70s and everyone and his turtle was out enjoying the last day of summer.
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October 28, 2012

Look close.
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October 26, 2011

A pair of gates were installed to keep people off the path during high water. They replaced the old sawhorses and red and white pained cross beam. Because of the drought, these gates have yet to be used.

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October 24, 2011

October 20, 2011

October 17, 2011

Last week's carpet of leaves has been pulverized to dirty dust.
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October 15, 2011

Biking with son up at Cedar Falls.

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October 13, 2011

October 11, 2011

He wasn't on the path when I went past the first time, but on my return home he was there and a splendid change from all of the grasshoppers leaping up at me. Almost blends into the tar, doesn't he?
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October 10, 2011

Iowa River lower than I have ever seen it. Saw this man wadding out in the middle fishing.

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October 6, 2011

The low level in the Iowa River is allowing artifacts to come to light.
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October 4, 2011

Clearing trees and making a level place for the new parking lot for the trail and Clear Creek access along Camp Cardinal Road.

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October 1, 2011

This picture is missing somethng: all of the water that should fill the space between the path and Highway 6. It's dry. It doesn't even look muddy out there.

About 2,300 miles for the year.

Map location

September 30, 2011

The wind blew over the Hawkeye Express Outhouses. Good thing it's a by-week.
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September 28, 2011

Dismantling the merry-go-round for the season.
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September 27, 2011

Map: Under the railroad bridge

September 13, 2011

See location on a map: Facing south.

September 11, 2011

See Location on a Map: Looking East at Dawn

September 10, 2011

I wonder if anyone sitting on a stationary bike inside said, "Hey, there's a guy on a real bike down there in the park taking our pictures--what's that about?"

See location on map: In the park facing south.

September 7, 2011

Where once impoverished converts from Europe were told to built handcarts and began walking to the envisioned Mormon kingdom in Utah, at the behest of their prophet, Brigham Young, to provide workers and wives, child now play soccer.

See location on a map: facing north toward soccer fields.

September 5, Labor Day 100 Mile Ride

 35 miles up the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, past Brandon, about 50 miles from Ely, in the more wild part of the trail, sits this structure. It's composed of six cerement silos over two passageways. The trail is a former train track bed (abandoned in 1977), and off to the east of the structure is a barbwire protected quarry on private property. The structure rises suddenly amongst the trees and gives the feel of ancient ruins. Well, they are ruins, but not that ancient. According in the internet, the quarry is called Buzzards Glory Quarry and the silos were used to load gravel onto rail cars. See location on a map.

September 2, 2011

Evening ride to beat the heat. Followed a fellow pulling a kid trailer for quite awhile along the river. He was making good time and I gained on  him only slowing in the twilight. Behind the Dairy Queen, he hit a major bump and the carrier went a foot off the ground and launched its payload even higher. Landing with a thud in the middle of the trail, it was a backpack, to my relief, and not a child. See location on a map: looking north toward peninsula.

August 31, 2011

See location on a map: looking south.

August 29, 2011

 On this narrow road south of Iowa City, where there is no shoulder and the cars fly past at 60 mph, I heard a vehicle coming up behind me but slowing down. Seeing no driveway or road intersection ahead, I instinctively hunched down and pulled over as far to the right as I could in case I was about to be pelted with a half-empty milkshake or similarly shaped words. It happens. Instead, a white-haired grandma in a two-toned mini van slid up and matched my pace. Leaning toward me, she hollered across through the passenger's window, "Is this the road to the casino?" Dead-panned, from under my sparky-blue helmet, and from behind my clip-on sunglasses, I nodded a distinct affirmation. She nodded a firm thank you back, stomped on the accelerator, and sped off to her appointed destiny leaving me hanging on the edge of the road doubting who was more cool. See location on a map: Facing north.

Self portrait.

August 25, 2011

I left home on my usual 25 mile ride wondering if I had taken all of the interesting pictures I could take along this route... And then...  See location on a map.

August 24, 2911

Rare sight: three people tubing down the diminished Iowa River below Iowa City... This past weekend the paper ran a three-part story about the condition of the river... saying 100 years ago you could drink from it but if you did that today you might not walk away.

August 22, 2011 90 Miles on the Hoover, Cedar River, and Cedar Valley Trails

Living the dream in Brandon, Iowa; the view from the Cedar Valley Nature/Bike Trail.

Once, driving to Cedar Falls, I hopped off the freeway to take a quick look at the rest of Brandon to see if it lived up to this house across from where I often stop on the trail to eat my lunch... it does.

August 19, 2011

I really want to sit down but...

August 16, 2011

The Iowa River... The Mayflower Dorm... And, ah yes, the reason I started carrying a camera on my bike in the first place: a horse grazing in City Park.

August 12, 2011

August 11, 2011

Spotted this cloud and had to take a picture.

August 10, 2011