While it is Sunday afternoon as I write this, the ride happened last weekend.
Heather had some coworkers who were excited to try out some of the more outlying trails around Des Moines. A plan was put together to have everyone meet at one of the trail heads near “the railroad trestle”
Interesting note about the trail head, it features a bar build specifically to cater to the people using the bike trail. It was also next to a s dormant grain elevator, not too shocking given the trail runs down a recently decommissioned rail line.
Speaking of the rail line, let me tell you, if you want a nice easy bike ride the rail right of way is hard to beat.
We had a group of roughly ten people, and rode together down the trail. Nobody seemed to know exactly how far we were going, except to say that it wasn’t that far. Distance wise, we may have covered more miles than everyone considers “not that far,” but as I mentioned before it was a really easy ride so I don’t think anybody expected to arrive at the bridge quite when we did.
I do quibble with the “trestle” description, but it clearly was a rail bridge, and it does provide a rather unique thing to ride over on a bike. We stayed and enjoyed the view for a few minutes, then headed on down the trail to the next town. I don’t quite know why, but I suppose it made for a more complete ride that way?
Before I forget, here is a map of the bridge, if you are interested as to what part of the lake it covers.
After refilling our water bottles at the nice little pit-stop location waiting for us in Woodward, we headed back to the trail head. We completed the day with a quick stop at the Flat Tire bar I mentioned before and headed home.
This makes our third summer owning bikes, and I have to say they have continued to provide a really great way for Heather and I to get outside together. Tangentially I realized that google maps now lets me show bike trails. It appears that there are a few gaps in the trail network between our house and that bridge… Not to mention the significant distance involved š
I feel like this may not have been the most interesting post ever, but it at least serves the purpose of recording a unique day for us in the summer of 2011 š
-Jordan
Nelsons 