Sunny Cedar Falls

With Memorial Day here, the girls (Tessa and Tessie) and I decided to make our way down to Eastern Iowa to visit some friends and get a few Iowa miles in.  As I made my drive down from Minnesota, I couldn't wait to leave behind all of the traffic and noise for my little Iowa escape.

My first stop was at Sarah's house.  Sarah and her husband Charles, along with their son Hudson and dog Pete, had recently moved into their new home in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  This was my first time seeing their new place and immediately felt that it was meant for them.  As I put the car in park, I was greeted with "Aunt Dia come jump!" - I did not relize this house also came with a trampoline!  I enjoyed an evening filled with blonde little boy curls and laughs shared in a hostea filled backyard, while catching up with my friend from the front seat of her porch.

As much as I love seeing Sarah and family, my favorite part of my visits is their guest bed.  You see their own a fantastic bedstore, Fosters Mattress, so of course they have the BEST guest bed of all time.  I soon drifted off into a deep slumber only to wake up around 5 a.m. feeling like I had slept for years.  With my eyes open, no chance of closing again, I peered at my phone.  50 degrees, sunny, and no wind.  The makings of a great morning bike ride.  I quickly assembled my gear, grabbed a breakfast bar and was out the door with a text - "Went for a bike ride, be back in an hour or so."  

As I rolled out the alley and down the road, I felt the first kisses of the morning sun.  They reminded me that even though this had been a long, hard, cold winter - summer was finally here.  At first I didn't find the bike path like I had intended but instead rolled along a shared roadway and found a cut down street.  I have learned over the years that roads with name like "Lake St,""Bluff Rd," "Riverview Drive," are roads I should be rolling on.  In this case Lake St didn't disappoint.  I followed the quite road as it passed beautiful homes and rolling marshes, and then eventually pointed me in the direction of the Cedar Valley Bike Trail System.

I had been on this trail before, and well, to be honest, it sucked.  It was last spring and it involved me getting lost several times, an emergency call to Max at Wayne's to help with a bike repair, and snow.  Yep, snow.  Lots of snow.  Let's just say that it was a rough ride, and walk, for Tessa and I that day.  But today was different.  The trail was lit by the morning sun and the only trail hazards came in the form of several deer.  And they were some stubborn deer at that.  They took their sweet time moving their tails off of the trail as I whistled and stomped my cleats.  I learned from many a moose in Alaska, that is best to make sure all animals are off the trail or you may find yourself in a fight with four hooves and a tail.

Downtown Cedar Falls

As I coasted along the trail, I relished in the twists and turns of the route.  I drank in the views of the Cedar River and took deep breathes of the fresh Iowa air.  As my wheels turned and gears shifted, I made my way back downtown and towards Sarah's.  Since I had started my ride just shortly after 5:30 a.m., the town was now starting to wake up and move.  I cranked my way up Bluff St and rolled into the downtown area.  I had been here several times in the past with Sarah and is one of my favorite downtown areas.  Normally when I am here it is bustling along with college kids and the daily hum of town.  But this morning it was quite, peaceful and serene.  I crossed over from downtown to the river walk area and let Tessa take a break.  The view spread out for miles and filled my soul with so much beauty.  Summer was finally here.

Tessa and I made our way back to our starting point and with the promise a bike ride to the farmer's market and some of the best croissants in Iowa, we watched as the sun continued to rise and fill the morning air with the makings of a beautiful day.

 

Iowa Legs

Last year when I moved to Dubuque I knew it would be a challenge.  From my work, to making new friends, and finding new roads to ride.  And Dubuque held up its end of the deal and pushed me farther and harder in every area than I had been in a long time.  But eventually I made progress - fantastic friends, tough but needed job decisions, and many, many miles on some very hilly roads.  Now as I settle into my life back in Minnesota sometimes I fear that I am losing my Iowa-ness.

I was reminded this week that even though my feet may be in Minnesota, Iowa is still in my legs.  I went on my first group ride with the Central Minnesota Bike Club, a group that was the brain child of bike junkies from Bowlus who were looking for a way to meet more like-minded bike riders and to embrace the miles and miles of rail-to-trail systems here in Central Minnesota.  As I started to unpack my bike at the trailhead, I met some of the club members and learned about the ride options for the night.  During all of the information, I latched onto a rider, Beth, a seasoned rider who was going to ride the same course option as me. We soon turned onto the road and into our first little climb that would lead us over I94, and then rolled down and back up into another climb.

Over 24 CMBC riders for the night (photo credit - Jan Lasar) 

As we settled into this second climb, I was amazed at how strong my legs and breathe felt.  Beth even gave me the most wonderful compliment of "you are a good little climber!"  As soon as she mentioned the hills, I immediately thought of my rides in Dubuque where the hills go on forever and you felt like you never had enough gears to shift through to help ease the ride to the top.

But on that day, these Minnesota hills seemed much simpler.  They still required some shifting and extra pedaling, but I began to notice that my feelings towards these hills were different.  My legs didn't loath the climbs, instead there were happy to push up them, to see what was at the top.  It was as if I was smarter about these hills and even though I had never ridden or driven them before, I wanted to be on them because I knew my legs were strong enough to take them on.  Legs that were built and trained in the Mississippi valleys of Dubuque.

In the last year I have learned so much about the hills in my life and which ones I want to be on and which ones will teach me something.  But that is the funny thing about hills - when you find yourself in the middle of a climb you learn so much.  You learn about what you are capable of, who is there to support you, and to train yourself and your legs on how to be a better climber.  As we finished our ride for the night,  Jan, one of the club leaders, asked me how I liked the ride.  I wanted to burst with expression as to how much I enjoyed the night - the group, being back on my bike, the conversations, the post ride meal to come, and the beautiful route.  But, of course I simply replied - "I loved it!"

You know found the right group when bike maps
are passed around and routes are traced with butter knifes
and stories are swapped with great hand gestures

Once I loaded my car back up and made my way to the American Burger Bar to our post ride meal, I smiled as I felt the breeze hit my face.  This had been a long and cold winter and I never thought this day would come.  A day filled with new faces, two-wheels, and lots rolling hills.