States – Page 6 – Biking 100

Arizona #20

Arizona # 20 January 30 – February 3, 2017 102 Miles

Headed for Oro Valley north of Tucson. It was a long trip from Big Bend in Texas to Tucson. Oh yeah, Texas is BIG!! Guess we are spoiled because the scenery along the way seemed a bit boring.

We planned to camp at Catalina State Park, once again a campground right on the bike path. There weren’t any campsites available the first night so we stayed at a Wal-Mart that was across the street. Bonus was dinner out. Yay!! Cold nights so we were thankful that we have a really good heater.

Entrance to Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, AZ

Catalina is a beautiful park, cacti of all shapes and sizes. We saw a Cooper Hawk one morning sitting on top of a saguaro cactus and one evening we saw a huge owl fly into a nearby tree. Flo loved running in the shallow, sandy river bottom. I think she was surprised there was no salt taste in the water. While hiking with Flo one morning I saw a women riding a horse called a “Gypsy”. She said he was from the British Isles – beautiful with feathering on lower legs similar to what you see on a Clydesdale. Very unusual.

We rode two days on the Canada del Oro River Park Trail. The first day we connected to the Santa Cruz River Park Trail for a total of 34 miles. The second day we road the Canada del Oro and the Rittolo River Park Trail for 37 miles. We saw several roadrunners. They are the quickest little birds!! Beep! Beep! There were only a couple of street crossing as there were undercrossings at most of the roads. Both days we fought the wind on our return. Tired!! Found a really nice local restaurant that was having $1.00 taco night. We love $1.00 tacos!!

There was frost on the ground the morning we left to head for Mesa, AZ. We plan to visit my cousin Carol and her husband Ron. Fortunately we were able to park right beside their home. We had a wonderful visit, caught up on our laundry. Yay! Carol and I went to the movies one afternoon and saw “A Dog’s Purpose”. (Take Kleenex!) Nice to have a couple of days off the bikes.

We took an afternoon to ride Rio Saldo Paths and Indian Bend Wash. The start of the Rio Salado Paths was in Mesa at Wrigleyville West, the Cubs spring training facilities. We followed the trail along the Salt River in Tempe, past Arizona State University campus and across a really nice bridge to the Indian Bend Wash trail.

Indian Bend Wash took us to Scottsdale, the spring training facilities for the San Francisco Giants. Their ball fields were beautiful. Part of the Rio Salado Paths was under construction – the workers were very kind in letting us pass through. While putting out bikes back on the motorhome our mild mannered Flo showed some aggressive barking toward a park ranger. He threatened to tase her. We are so thankful he did not! Not certain what set her off, but Lenny was inside and I was outside when he approached. Guess she thought I needed protection.

We said our good-byes to Ron and Carol on February 4, 2017 and headed for Lake Mead, NV.

Canada Del Oro River Park Trail to Santa Cruz River Park Trail
Canada Del Oro to Rittolo River Park
Rio Saldo Paths/Indian Bend Wash

Texas #19

January 17 – 25, 2017 – 101 Miles

We left Mississippi (Jan. 16, 2017) and headed for Galveston Island, Texas to get a few days of rest. Going into Louisiana I actually saw a sign at a small store that read, “fresh coons”. Yuck!!

Had a good time on Galveston Island. Flo loved running on the beach. Rode our bikes to dinner, to the grocery store and to the end of the island. What a great way to tour the island. Fell asleep each night to the sound of waves on the beach. We had the motor home washed and waxed at the campsite. Our next stop was Padre Island National Seashore. We were very fortunate to get a campsite there for only $4.00 a night. It was very secluded with miles of beach to walk. No internet, no phone service and no satellite TV.

Best bike mechanic ever using repair station on our new bike rack.

We left Padre Island after a two night stay as they were expecting heavy winds. We had our sights set on the San Antonio River Walk and were fortunate to find a campsite right on the trail. The trail follows both sides of the river and travels through San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Our first day on the trail took us past 4 missions. It is a wonderful trail, well maintained and lots of history. We road as far as Mission Espada. On our return we rode into the wind. Exhausting! Walking around the missions was a great way to catch our breath.

Mission Espada, the oldest mission in Texas dating back to 1690.

Our second day on the trail we rode to The Alamo. We were surprised that the city is build right around the Alamo. Also, it was much smaller than we had anticipated. The trail was nice, smooth and looked new in many of the areas.

We actually rode our bikes on the River Walk along the canals in San Antonio. Don’t think we were supposed to be there on bikes …….. we got a little lost. The people riding on boats in the canal seemed to enjoy seeing us.

Our next ride in Texas was on the Leon Creek Greenway on the west side of San Antonio. It was one of the hottest days of riding so far. Nice concrete trail with lots of hills and zig-zags. Dinner at Chuy’s Tex-Mex, huge servings and excellent Margaritas. We were really tired after our hot day of riding so it was off to bed early. Headed for Austin in the morning to ride the Ann and Roy Butler Trail which is a loop along the banks of Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River. It’s right in the heart of Austin. We always say it’s the city where no one works. It was a Wednesday afternoon and the trail was so crowded in some places we could hardly ride. Pedestrians have the right-of-way and in Austin they stand their ground. That said, there was wonderful scenery along the river, long board walks, great views of the city. We parked in Zilker Park which had a huge off the leash dog park. Lots of happy dogs in Austin.

Recycled lobster rope and paint sculpture by Orly Genger. She hand crochets and paints the rope. You can see the trail and river in the background.

We then headed for San Angelo, Texas to visit 4-wheeling friends, Carl and Glenda. Spent the afternoon and evening with them. Lenny enjoyed seeing Carl’s large shop. We visited Fort San Angelo, learned about “Buffalo soldiers”. Carl and Glenda treated us to a great Mexican meal. Yum! Yum! Flo enjoyed chasing and being chased by their dog Bonnie. On our way to San Angelo we saw many fields with large rolls of cotton. We were both surprised that Texas had such a large cotton industry.

We decided to visit Big Bend National Park, costs for us seniors $0 to enter. We saw a coyote and a roadrunner on our way. The wind was really blowing by the time we arrived in the park. We camped in the Rio Grande Village Area. There was Wi-Fi at the store but no phone and no satellite. Sunset was beautiful but the wind was brutal. We put the slide in on the motorhome because of the wind which blew through the night. In the morning the camp host told us we had experienced a “west Texas wind storm”.

Beautiful Scenery – Big Bend National Park

We took a side trip to Boquillas Canyon. You can cross the Rio Grande at Boquillas Crossing to visit Mexico.

Texas is as advertised – BIG. There is so much to see. We both agree that a return trip is in our future.

Galveston Island
San Antonio River Walk Bike Path
Leon Creek Greenway
Ann and Roy Butler Bike Trail

Mississippi #18

January 13-16, 2017 – 104 miles

Riding in Louisiana one day and Mississippi the next. This is beginning to look like a marathon – 206 miles in seven days. But we feel a bit pressured to ride when the weather is so very good.

We found a great trailhead for the Long Leaf Trace in the small town of Sumrall, MS. We rode the trail into Hattiesburg the first day. One week later Hattiesburg had a devastating tornado.

Longleaf Trace Trailhead Hattiesburg, MS

The second day we took the trail from Sumrall to Prentiss. There was an equestrian trail beside the bike trail and primitive camping areas with stalls for horses. I know my sister, our cousins and friends would have loved to ride a trail like this back in the day.

I enjoy taking pictures of our American flag flying in different places. It’s interesting how people display their patriotism. This flag was hung over the trail out in the forest.

We were only 2 miles from end of trail but feeling worn out so we headed back to Sumrall and finished the day with 43 miles total.

We finished our Mississippi miles on the Ridgeland Natchez Trace Trail. This trail was in need of repair. There were areas with huge holes and roots coming through the asphalt. The scenery was beautiful with many long hills up and down. We started at beautiful Ross Bennet Reservoir. The last of our ride was on the Mississippi River at the Natchez Trace visitors center. Again meeting our goal of riding on the River.

Longleaf Trace
Ridgeland Natchez Trace

Louisiana #17

January 9-12, 2017 – 104

We left Ohio on December 20, 2016 on a very cold morning with the temperature at 8 degrees.

We spent Christmas in Juno Beach with our son and his finace. We celebrated the New Year and wept for the Buckeyes in Valrico, FL with Lenny’s sister and brother-in-law.

Then it was time to head off to do some serious biking. We road about 50 miles around Gulf Shores Alabama but because of weather concerns we headed for Louisiana. So, this is the first state we completed 100 miles in 2017.

The Grand Annabelle – Mississippi River Trail, New Orleans.

We road the Mississippi River Trail in New Orleans which met our goal of riding along the Mississippi River in each state that borders the river. Windy ride atop a levee. Saw this ship named “Grand Annabelle”.

Our next trail was the Tammany Trace, north of New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain. We were able to camp at Fontainebleau State Park which was right on the trail. Word of caution, this campground had wild hogs which we saw almost every morning.

Fontainebleau State Park, on Tammany Trace

We loved this trail with its moss covered tress traveling through quaint communities like Abita Springs and Covington. There was even a draw bridge. We did get caught in the rain in Covington – 17 miles from camp.

Mississippi River Trail
Tammany Trace

Virginia #16

November 21-27, 2016 – 106 miles

We headed to Williamsburg, VA for Thanksgiving. Staying in a timeshare and not camping this trip. We were looking forward to riding the Virginia Capitol Trail. The trail runs from the Jamestown Settlement to Richmond. We road all 52 miles of the trail. The first day we rode it was cold, long pants day! One of the highlights was biking along the canal in Richmond. It was a great end to our ride.

We passed several plantations and on one of our non -biking days we visited Shirley Plantation, where the mother of General Robert E. Lee was born. It’s the oldest plantation in Virginia. Lenny’s sister and brother-in-law joined us. We enjoyed local restaurants, cheering on the Buckeyes and doing puzzles.

Virginia Capitol Trail

Oklahoma #15

October 8-10, 2016 – 101 miles

We love it when we find a campground right on the trail we plan to ride. This was one of those times. We just had to open a gate at the back of campground and we were on the trail. Oklahoma City River Trail was a nice surprise. Beautiful views of the city, rowers on the river, passed the stockyard and not crowded at all. Oklahoma City has a gem of a trail.

Lake Hefner Trail took us around the lake and across a large causeway. Saw large flocks of Great Egrets. I thought they looked like pelicans.

Rode Katy Trail (Tulsa) from Sand Springs and West River Trail in Tulsa. Got pretty much lost in Tulsa but had a nice tour of the city. It was worth the trouble. It was one of the nicest trails we’ve ridden. Hooray for Tulsa! Saw a large flock of Blue Herons from trail. Route 66 statues were at start of trail.

Oklahoma City River Trail
Lake Hefner Trails/Hefner Overholser Trail
Katy Trail (Tulsa)/West River Trail

New Mexico #14

September 30 – October 4, 2016 – 101 Miles

Rainy and cold in Flagstaff so we decided to head for New Mexico. Stopped in Winslow, Arizona on our way. Such a fine place to be!

Most of our riding was going to be in the Albuquerque area. We were surprised to find that the Balloon Fiesta was just starting the day we arrived. It was an awesome site. No camping close to town so we went to a Corp of Engineers campground several miles north of Albuquerque.

We picked up a map at a local bike shop and there were many trails to choose in the area. Some we had researched in advance. The Bosque was our favorite.

From Albuquerque we headed for Santa Fe and spent an evening with our new friends Mary and Jerry. Then it was on to Chama, NM to visit Jimmy, our long time 4-wheeling friend. Great to see his ranch in the mountains. We left Chama on October 6, our 43rd Wedding Anniversary. YAY!!

Paseo del Bosque Trail
Paseo del Norte/North Division Trail
Paseo de las Montanas/Embudo Rec. Trail
Tramway Trail
Santa Fe Trail

Utah #13

September 22 – 27, 2016 – 106 miles

Arrived in Moab after spending night in Council Bluffs, Colorado. Watched Buckeyes beat Oklahoma 45 -24. YAY! Especially fun because my sister, Sherry was with us.

Rented a Jeep (orange) for a few days to do some 4-wheeling. Flo did well bouncing around in the back seat. We saw some beautiful country and Steve always found the best places for lunch. It was so good to see our old friends and make some new friends.

California friend, Debbie – dinner at the SPOKE in Moab.

Last morning at Portal campground in Moab. Best friends Steve and Debbie Adams.

After three days of 4-wheeling it was time to do some biking. Moab Canyon trail is not only steep but the day we rode it was windy and hot. Lots of work on the way out but what a thrill coming back.

This was the only shade on the Moab Canyon Trail.

Candy Mountain Express Trail
Hotel rooms in train car.

We were able to ride from our campsite all the way to Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon. We worked very hard getting our miles in Utah.

Moab Canyon Trail
Candy Mountain Express
Bryce Canyon
Red Canyon

Iowa #12

September 12 – 15, 2016 – 101 miles

Flo’s friends, watching traffic on the Mississippi.

We feel this is the beginning of “living our dream”. We are both retired and heading for Utah to play in Moab with our California friends. Along the way we will be chalking up the miles.

I had read about the High Trestle Trail and it was on my must do list. We were not disappointed. Did not have opportunity to see trestle lit up at night but it was an awesome site during the day and a thrill to cross.

Trestle over Des Moines River, a half mile long and 130 feet above the river.

High Trestle Trail

Riverfront Trail – Mississippi River
Neil Smith Trail – Saylorville Lake
High Trestle Trail – from Woodward
Wabash Trace Nature Trail – from Shenandoah

Missouri #11

April 11 – 14, 2016 – 103 miles

We made a trip to visit our son at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and rode our 100 miles on the same trip. Road most of the miles on Katy Trail following the Missouri River and part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. We were able to find a campsite on the trail. The Missouri River was out our front window and the Katy Trail was directly behind us. Not the Ritz, the people there called it the “Hillbilly Riviera”. Chain of Lakes Bridge crossed Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri and onto St. Louis Riverview trail.

Katy Trail
Chain or Rocks Bridge
St. Louis Riverview