Ride Reports

Riders: Dan Tucker, Sue Henderson, Joe Liddell, Connie Bird, Larry Howe, John Hunte, Mark Crane, Kathy McFadden, Dorie Kelchen, Jim Tegtmeier, Joel Eldred and Denise Potter

Today was the last official ride of the HBA season. We had clear skies and cool autumn morning weather that warmed as the morning passed. We rode Secrist Road and Springville Road to Mt. Vernon and on Lisbon. We ate at Gwen’s. And enjoyed the Sunday buffet (no breakfast items) and special valuable prizes were awarded to Dan Tucker, the winner of the ‘Name the last Ride’ poll. After brunch, and another photo or two, some riders turned south for the Sutliff loop and the rest return to Marion. We all agreed it was some of the best riding weather of the year.

Riders: Greg Dengler, Ron Neyens, John Hunte, Connie Bird, Larry Howe, Bob Potter, KittyHawk (Jim T. - sorry not sure of spelling), Joe Lidell, Dan Tucker, Jeff Ginn, Joel Eldred, Dorie Kelchen, Dick Mundy

This hardy group of 14 riders, started out with clouds and NW wind 15 -25mph. We headed north up the trail to County Home Rd, then west to Center Point road. We regrouped at the Caseys, just as we came into Center Point. We headed for the fire station, because we heard there were “panacakes”, to be had. OH, the sweet smell of pancakes! We had a nice breakfast with all the firemen, then before we left CP, a photo op by the fire trucks. Of course my fellow riders, wanted to ride on Alice road, so we headed east towards my favorite road. We DID ride Alice road as far as Layayette road, we headed east towards Alburnett. Oh, did I mention that two of our riders forgot to turn towards Alburnett, so they did All of Alice road, back to CP road. See Lostboy, you are not the only one, we now have Lost Dorie, and she led Kitty Hawk astray. The rest of the riders headed back to North ‘C’ Ave., and then a cruise back to Robins, to the trail, and safely back to the trailhead. It turned out to be a fairly nice day, and the ride south was a Breeze (tailwind).

Thank you to all the participants, and just to let everyone know the BLACK PEARL is safely back to port, and is awaiting its next voyage.

Riders: Joel Eldred, Todd Erickson, John Hunte, Larry Howe, and Connie Bird

We started off down the trail and out C in which time the head wind was a bit
brisk so Connie & Larry broke off and headed west for a more friendlier closer
Fairfax loop.
Joel & I stopped up at Ely where Todd caught up with us, can you imagine
that??? We then proceeded to Solon, and on to one of my most favorite biking
stretches along the Sugar bottom, newport, Prairie Du Chien Roads. The wind
actually was'nt all that bad, the sunny day leaves were beautiful, and the
single biker babes out in that area as usual were out in full force...

Riders: Kay Nelson, Capt Bob Potter, Suki Sue Henderson, John Johnson, Donald Scott, Dick Mundy

It was a beautiful but windy fall morning, for a nice leisurely ride. We discussed wind direction, and wondered if we should not go south first, but we decided as a group to still go to Alburnett, and ride back into the wind. We had a new rider today that just moved here from Massachusetts. His name is Donald, and he was interested in riding with HBA> We all welcomed him, and enjoyed his company very much. We hope to see him again on many more rides. We had our usual stop at the convenience store in Alburnett, before our return into the wind. The wind was pretty strong, and straight at us coming back, but we had the Capt to pull us along. Thanks Capt for those strong legs, and that Speeder bike. Thanks to all who joined us. This was our last slow ride of the year, and if there is enough interest, we will have them again next year.

The weather gods definitely were looking out for this ride. The entire ride took place under cloudless mid fall skies. Twentysomething riders met at Greene Square for a medium paced ride out of C.R., through Swisher to Ely Road and a tailwind push to the metropolis of Sutliff. Some elected to lunch in the bar or on the bridge, others with time commitments chose to ride on after enjoying a break off the bike. The ride continued up the hill to Lisbon, Mount Vernon, and back to GSP. I thought a great turnout for a mid fall ride! Thanks All.

Riders: Joel Eldred, Joe Liddell, Greg Dengler, Bob Van Horn, Bill Hawk, Denise Potter, Bob Potter, Sue Henderson, Dan Tucker, John Hunte, Mark Dimke, Bernie Smith, Sue D Smith

On this Saturday morning, the weather radar was of much interest. We gathered at Greene Square Park looking at moisture by mid-day, but we had a light drizzle, and in the last few miles, light rain before it was all over.

We headed south on the trail to re-group at the Blue Strawberry South, at which time Bernie, Sue, the Potters and Suki Sue "opted" out for other commitments. Continuing on with 8 riders, we re-grouped again at Solon, and as we headed across Mahaffey Bridge Road, we cruised into North Liberty to have a short break and photo op, before heading north on 965 to 76th Ave, and on to Jersey's for lunch. Although John Hunte left us in N Liberty for additional miles - go Johnoooooo!

It was a nice ride, with minimal wind, and a small amount of moisture. After lunch, the "weather" intensity picked up, and some of us had support vehicles takes us home from there. It was approx 46 miles, and was a great group to ride with - the first taste of autumn riding was in the air - a bit chilly and a bit damp! Thanks to those who participated!

Riders: Joel & Dana Eldred, Jerry Falta, Sue Henderson, Valerie Boddicker, Dan Tucker

We got an earlier start on Sunday, since we wanted to be back in Cedar Rapids to attend the HBA meeting at 5 p.m. We rode to Fountain, where we enjoyed some pie and ice cream. The ride to Fountain is a slight uphill most of the way, but it sure was fun coming back. The weekend weather was great - maybe even a little too hot. The leaves were somewhat colorful, but I expect the following weekend would be better for leaf viewing.

This was the best group I ever was associated with riding on the Root River Trail on the first weekend in October of 2007. I sure had fun and hope to do it again next year. /s/ Jerry

Riders: Joel & Dana Eldred, Jerry & Joyce Falta, Larry & Diane Potter, Sue Henderson, Valerie Boddicker, Dan Tucker, Art Sibold, Pat Burns

Some of the riders arrived on Friday, and others on Saturday. Most of the group met for breakfast at the Chat 'n Chew. We then gathered at Sylvan Park in Lanesboro for the ride. We headed west, since the trail eastward had been damaged by floods in August. We rode to Preston and had a nice break at the US Army Tank Memorial. We headed onward to Harmony where the route became "relatively flat". We had another little break at Harmony, where riders enjoyed ice cream, cookies, lemonade, cashews, lemon bars etc. The ride back to Preston was great as we enjoyed the push from the wind and the "relatively flat" downhills. We arrived back at Lanesboro around 3 p.m. Some riders went to the bike shop, and others went to do some shopping. We had reservations at Riverside-on-the-Root restaurant for dinner. All eleven riders enjoyed the 2 hour dinner and conversation. After dinner we went back to Sylvan Park where most of us were tent camping. Two riders headed back home after dinner; the remaining riders had a fire to sit around and enjoy more conversation and adult beverages.

Riders: Sue Henderson, Dick Mundy Kay Nelson

The day was very nice for the first day of fall. the temperature was in the upper 50`so and return was in the lower 60`so Only a few rode today..Sue Henderson, Dick Mundy and Kay Nelson. We rode from Marion to Alburnett and returned. Stopped at the convenience store for a break. Saw some other bikers out riding also. Thanks to Sue Henderson for her help with directions.

Riders: Mark Crane, Kathy McFadden, Bob and Denise Potter, Dorie Kelchen, Bob Van Horn, John Hunte, Kees Bronts,
Greg Dengler, Bill Hawk, Kevin Westman, Art Sibold, Ron Neyens, Larry Howe, Kirk Draper, Ken Klein, Kevin Morgan,
Joe Liddell, Jeff Ginn, Joel Eldred

Twenty riders waited in eager anticipation of the "Mystery Route." The suspense was thick enough to cut with a knife. We left CVNT at 8:06 AM and took the trail to County Home Rd. About 2 miles onto CHR, Larry Howe encountered a blow-out and a cut tire. A makeshift patch aided his immediate return home. We regrouped briefly in Whittier. We then rode on to Waubeek and turned left at the "Y" in the road (the road less traveled) which took us to Central City for our short break. Lo and behold! Look who appears at the C- store! Its Larry Howe! And with a new tire! Talk about kicking A** and taking names! Our group was once again whole and we took Central City Rd to Denise Potter's favorite road (Alice). We followed Alice to Center Point Rd, to Tower Terrace Rd and back to CVNT for our "goodbyes." Great ride- great weather- minimal breeze. Couldn't ask for anything more! Thanks, folks!

Riders: Joe Liddell, Joel Eldred, Ron Neyens, Kevin Westman, Bill Hawk, Ken Klein

Two riders (Joe and Joel) showed up after riding from GSP. The remaining riders were deposited by motor vehicles of various types. We lelt the Norway baseball field and headed west on E66. 11 miles to Blairstown. 15 min. stop at Blairstown Quick Stop for some videos. The sun came out for our run south on V66. We rode curves and rolling hills with a bit of a headwind (15 knots). Then east in a compact bunch to Middle Amana, where we were disappointed that the 1870 Pizza Grill (formerly a vegetable market) was permanently closed. So we spun onward to Amana itself (18 miles), where we sampled Rocky Road ice cream out of styrofoam cups from the Chocolate Haus. The group split up on the return to Norway, with 3 riders pedaling directly back to Cedar Rapids, and 4 riders returning to Norway via E66/W24 (10 miles). The 4 Norway riders were threatened by a dog patrolling W24.

Riders: Dorie Kelchen, Joe and Rita Liddell, Jerry Falta, Sue Henderson, Terry Whaley, Kevin Morgan, Kay Nelson

The morning was a little cool, the temperature was 32 degrees, but that did not stop a few people to do a ride.
We rode from Green Square Park to Ely. It turned out to be a beautiful morning for a ride. A few of us stopped Blue Strawberry for food. Got back about 11:00.

We had five riders on this perfect morning for a bicycle ride through the woods, starting at the Sun Valley Trailhead just off of East Post Road. The young Muhlena boys were there along with Mom and Dad Muhlena and yours truly. We were rewarded by seeing not one but two hummingbirds darting about among the trees, one of them about a mile out and the other near the Indian Creek Nature Center. After our turnaround and short visit at the Nature Center, one of the boys had a little spill on some loose gravel and decided he had gone far enough for the day. Mom M. stayed behind with him to wait for the Muhlena sag wagon while the rest of us rode back to Sun Valley.

Riders: Joel Eldred, Kirk Draper, Kees Bronts, John Hunte

We headed for breakfast by way of Ely, Solon, then across Dannyooooo's most favorite Mehaffey Bridge and up the hill to breakfast at The Clubhouse. Love that place, kind of like a setting up in the north woods, used by be called The Lodge when in my teens. We then headed through North Liberty, did the Loop with the five gigantic biker chicks, and headed to the Sutliff street dance by way of Solon. One of our members, Kees, seems to have trouble in the Solon area as this time his back bracket holding the derailleur completely broke off, "never seen that before", Kees called Mary his "better half", and then we left him. Wasn't much dancing going on at the Sutliff fundraiser, so Joel, Kirk and I continued on through Lisbon, Mt. Vernon, and then back to Cedar Rapids.

This ride was greeted by great weather and a nice group of 19 riders. We headed out Ellis Blvd. to Ellis Road to HWY 94, and into Palo. From there, after a stop at the Palo convenience store, we headed into Center Point, where we had breakfast at The Pizza Place. After a good meal, and our group picture, we brought Old Center Point Road back to Robins, and then down the Trail to GSP, with people dropping off to their home locations along the way.

It was a great day for a ride, and ended up at 41.7 miles for the trip. Thanks to all who participated!

Route: Czech and Slovak Museum clock tower to Mount Vernon via Solon and Lisbon.

In spite of the 90% rain forecast, we set out at 6:04 pm on a sunny and humid evening. Mark willingly blocked most of the headwind for us to the end of Ely Road. We needed tail lights shortly before Lisbon. The plan was to eat supper at the Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon. I thought by ~8:30 pm, things would be winding down. Incorrect assumption as the wait was at least 40 minutes. We went across the street for pizza and had delicious dessert at the Lincoln Cafe. It was in Mount Vernon where we met Todd. He cleverly avoided his share of blocking the headwind for the women and older men by riding straight to Mount Vernon. Demerits were recorded. We returned to Cedar Rapids on the Lincoln Highway. The wind did not diminish so we enjoyed tailwind and were crossing Hwy 13 in no time. We swung by the Indian Creek Nature Center and Cargill. It was a lovely evening with an almost half moon, light traffic and comfortable temperatures. Not a drop of rain.

Yes, it’s a sad day for all of you who didn't join us for the ride to Troy Mills. The sky was dark and the some clouds hung low, but even lightning bolts didn't stop this ride. And as you can see from the photo we had one of the largest groups of the year.

Of course, we did cancel the loop to Troy Mills, and substituted a local ride instead. The Saturday ride became Westfield School to Oscar's. Approximate one way distance = 4 miles. The webmaster and Capt Bob rode up the Robins Hill, while others took the trail. There were toasts by our very own 'Toastmaster' DLT, and by Val, who treated the group to breakfast. As usually we made new friends (see photo) and spread the good name of HBA. Some of our new friends had even done Ragbrai ® (a copyrighted word belonging to the Des Moines Register).....

At 7:30 (Joel time), we headed north from Linn Mar High School toward the infamous Stone City hills. We regrouped at the Abby Center and again at the turn into Stone City. We stopped for a photo opportunity near the bottom of the hill into Stone City. Riders then proceeded into Stone City and up the long and winding road towards Anamosa. We called ahead to the Anamosa Family Resturant (formerly known as the Anamosa Opera House). The restaurant handled us as well as a similar group (Marion Roadhogs) without issue. We headed out towards the park and several riders decided to split ways rather than riding the "Billy Goat" hills in the park. Everyone that attempted the park made the trip without the need to walk any of the hills. We then proceeded towards Fairview cutoff where most of the first group missed the turn. However, as our personal sag driver (Pat) went out to chase them down, they had already seen the errors of their ways and were already heading back toward Fairview. Riders regouped and we we headed back to Linn Mar without further incident.

Thanks to everyone for participating today and a special thanks goes out to Greg and Pat for honoring us with your presence today - all the way from Elgin, Illinois.

Three risk takers rode the triple trail route even though it could of rained at any time. The ride started at Kennedy High School, road east on 42^nd St., south on the McCloud trail to 16^th Ave. SW., road through the brown field area on 12^th Ave., and then to the Sac and Fox Trail. At the north end of the Sac and Fox Trail the riders rode north on east post road to the Handimart in Marion. From there the riders rode the Marion trail to Boyson Road, and then took Boyson Road to the CVNT trailhead in Hiawatha. From there it was a quick jaunt back to Kennedy High School via the trail and 42^nd Street.

The temperature was in the 60’s, the route was 27 miles long, the average speed was 14 mph, and the riders were back to Kennedy about 10:00 am.

7 riders left the trailhead at Boyson Rd at approx 0812. We decided to ride to Alburnett, so we headed up the trail to Robins, and then north to C Ave Ext, and continuing north to Alburnett. It was a beautiful morning, and we stopped at the famous convenience store, for a few refreshments, and of course the photo opportunity. We had a very nice ride, light winds, plenty of sunshine and great company. We then headed back the same route, in reverse of course. We all arrived safely back to the trailhead at Boyson Rd. Thanks to all who joined in the fun. I think those that participated, enjoyed the pace, and conversation along the way. Till next time, for a leisurely Sunday Ride

After introductions and the group photo 23 riders departed Hiawatha for Toledo at 8AM. The weather was comfortable at the start, but that soon changed with temps in the 90’s and a strong wind out of the S-SW. Along the way we had 5 stops for the riders to regroup, eat and hydrate. One rider had a little problem a couple of miles from Toledo and had to ride the sag wagon in. The rider was fine after some cool air, cool drinks and some food. On Saturday several of us rode with a group of young adults that were riding coast to coast in support of “Affordable Housing”.

We had dinner as a group at Bumblebee’s. Apparently the place has changed hands, so we weren’t able to sit together as a group and the food was not as good as in the past. Next year we will try someplace else.

Sunday was just wonderful. We got an earlier start at 7AM and had most of the hills completed before the temperatures got hot. Sunday’s ride is so peaceful with only about 3 cars seen in the first 20 miles. We had a good push from the winds, so the ride went much quicker. We were in Hiawatha at approx. 1PM.

As usual, a fun ride, with a diverse group of riders.

We had perfect sunny weather for our July Family Fun Ride (just a little on the muggy side with temps in the low 80s). We met at Hanna Park in Marion and rode from there through Thomas Park, Donnelly Park and Boyson Park to Boyson Road -- all without having to cross a street. Nice scenery, with wooded areas, a disc golf course, playgrounds and creek crossings. After exploring a couple of side trails in Boyson Park, we headed back south to Hanna Park, where some of the younger cyclists stayed to enjoy the playground equipment

At 7:30 on this beautiful Summer morning, we headed up the Trail toward Troy Mills---We cut off on County Home Road to Alice Road to Central City Road and turned down into Troy Mills. The Troy Store was all set up for us with a great breakfast buffet, and of course we had our group photo.

The ride back followed the same route, and we returned to GSP not too long after noon. It was a perfect day for the ride with minimal wind and comfortable temps---Let's do it again next year, shall we???

Thanks for participating-----

On a somewhat "damp" Saturday morning, 10 riders gathered to pedal our way to breakfast----We went through Ely, Solon, then had breakfast at The Clubhouse, and on to North Libery, where we made a brief stop at The Sugarbottom Bike Shop. On up 965, through Swisher, and back to GSP in dry and sunny conditions.

We started out damp and ended up with perfect weather-------Thanks to those who participated!

Riders:

What a ride! Members of five families showed up for our first Family Fun Ride (FFR) of the season and we had a little fun and went on a little ride. We had a Kevin, a John and a Joel who rode down from Kennedy HS instead of going from there to Alburnett on the other scheduled HBA ride of the morning. Braving temperatures in the upper teens, we set off for the C St. Blue Strawberry with a strong wind at our backs only to find a "trail closed" sign in the way. We rode around the sign, of course, but within maybe a quarter mile found the trail covered by several inches of frigid Cedar River. Went to Plan B and rode into icy headwind to the downtown Blue Strawberry, finding another Kevin on the way, for coffee and grub. Your humble ride leader logged maybe 2.5 miles. The Kevins, John and Joel had some real miles (crazies!)

Riders: Dan Tucker, Denise and Bob Potter, Stacy Hanna, Ken Klein, Dana and Joel Eldred

The ride started off with a few minutes of light rain but soon was gone. The eight riders who gathered at CVNT were determined to have a great ride and so were off down the trail....even though the sky was gray and large clouds were hanging overhead! The wind was brisk and gusty in spots but did not deter the hardy group.

Warm drinks were had by all at the Blue Strawberry before the riders ventured back on the trail. 25.4 miles later the group celebrated with warm food at Oscar's.

There was much to celebrate......1) Bob's birthday

2) Dana our newest rider (who rode on Sat and Sun with us!),

3) an equal gender mix...4 males/4 females