I love the combination of bicycling and ending the day with a glass of wine! Whether it be where I live or where I travel across the USA, more towns are constructing bike paths for safer bicycling opportunities and food establishments are benefitting from the increased people traffic. The chance to sit and enjoy a lunch with a glass of wine has been fun.
Bike paths having been linking small towns so people can enjoy a bicycle ride, time with friends, sightseeing the local landscape, and return safely to where they started their ride. By supporting bicycling organizations, we can have more of these bike paths built for our outdoor enjoyment.
Check out: Rails to Trails Conservancy to see if a bike path is near your home. There are other organizations providing maps for local bike rides, but Rails to Trails has flatter, paved paths that once were where the old railroad lines were back in the day. More communities are following the lead of paved, local bike paths so check and see what your community is doing for you to have a safer bike ride.
The cities of Akron and Cleveland, Ohio are just down the road so it is quite easy for locals to enjoy the outdoors at this national park! “Parks to the people” is a great phrase. People can arrive to this park via road or railway or canal, in the past. In 1974, it was established a national park as a civil rights initiative. Here is a national park in metropolitan areas. Plus tourists descend upon the area to spend time in green lush, wooded areas to hike or bicycle ride. Horses are allowed on some trails as are leashed pets.
The Cuyahoga River is a winding river emptying into Lake Erie. In 1969, the river caught fire and clean-up began soon after on this once most polluted river. There had been previous river fires, but the damages from industrial pollution had been ignored. Fifty years later we can enjoy bald eagle sightings, other wildlife and waterfalls, and if a skilled paddler, time on the river in a canoe or kayak. Be sure to hike the many steps down to Brandywine Falls … worth the view!
Brandywine Falls
The Towpath Trail parallels the once Ohio & Erie Canal. Here people can hike, jog or bicycle ride for at least 22 miles from end to end. There is also a scenic railroad train ride. Seasonally, there is a one-way shuttle service for cyclists, kayakers and thru-hikers. Or two-way tickets where you can hop on and off the train to visit the small towns along the route. I walked the towpath trail from what was once lock 29.
Old train depot
Towpath Trail along the Cuyahoga River
In 1913, the great flood closed the Ohio & Erie Canal, damaged the Everett Covered Bridge and it was repaired. In 1975, it was destroyed by a spring storm. In 1986, a historically accurate reconstruction was completed. Visitors can walk from a parking lot to the covered bridge.
Reconstructed Everett Covered Bridge
My most enjoyable hike was the Ledges Trail. It was a loop trail of a couple of miles. Do wear sturdy shoes and consider walking sticks if you would feel better with them on uneven surfaces, rocks, roots, etc. You walk past huge rocks and on ledges. The path is wide and well-marked. Quite frankly, you have to see this areas since no photo will do it justice. Enjoy!
My second national park on this trip is a beautiful park with the world’s longest cave system. With over 460 miles of interlocking passageways, the Domes and Dripstones tour had hundreds of steps up and down, while we only walked 3/4 mile through the cave! No photo captures the magnificence or the hugeness of the cave system, whether I stood in large rooms or squeezed through narrow passageways.
Some cave photos:
The grounds above the cave system are green and well-maintained as was the campground. There are many hiking options, plus an almost 10 mile bicycle trail. With a sunny, 82 degree day ….great time for a bicycle ride! Or so I thought, as I headed out on my bicycle. I discovered about 4 miles in this was not enjoyable on my hybrid bike tires and wished I had my mountain bike. What took me almost a half hour one way was 14 minutes back on the road!
Staying at the national park campground with no water, electricity and wifi was wonderful. Four days to truly unplug. As I write this draft blog post, ants, centipedes and other small critters drop in on me. People from different campsites stop by and visit; tours of my van have been provided too! The birds were singing; the squirrels running around and up trees. I think we’re all enjoying the sunshine since we knew rain was in the future. At night while walking the grounds near the lodge and visitor center, the deer were asking why I was in their area. The park really does empty out at this date, but all staff here know the holiday and summer crowds are coming! The cave tour I was on typically has 100-110 people on it. Our tour group had 8 people; quite the personal tour for us!
The park service does a wonderful job of spreading the message: we need to protect and care for our national parks. I like the fact that canned water was available for purchase …. Not in plastic bottles! And no paper towels in the restrooms.
Canned water
Yes the rain came and the Arkansas leak fix did not work. My van was leaking below the lights in front of my rearview mirror from the previous night’s rain. Damn! I waited for the lodge and visitor center to open. I was 15 minutes early. I decided I should eat breakfast so I stopped at a cafe in the lodge. When the woman asked what can I get you, I asked if she knew of a good auto repair place… it was a Friday; nothing would be open on the weekend. She did and a maintenance guy there also added he has had cab lights on his truck tightened. Off to the GMC place in Glasgow, Kentucky (1/2 hour away) and they tightened the lights and siliconed around them and the antennae. I was very fortunate for them to squeeze me in. I did also say I would sit there all day till they found time. I was out by noon!
Back at the campground I was fretting the upcoming rain so I booked the Historic Cave tour to be underground for 2 hours. This tour was so different! When the cave system was first discovered this was the only entrance and it was into large rooms! African American enslaved individuals mined the saltpeter used in the Civil War. You can see the hollowed-out tree trunks once used as water pipes. The history of the mine was fascinating as we walked 2 miles on this tour. The cave’s rooms on this tour were large in width and height!
There is a fungal disease affecting bats, white-nose syndrome. To protect them we walked over a bio-security mat to wash the bottoms of our shoes so we did not spread any fungi from one cave to another. Interesting!
I attended a ranger talk at night, walked some trails, birded at another and watched the Green River ferry in action. You jam so much in at a time when the rains stops! I was only a short distance away from my next campground so I visited 3 Amish-owned businesses, grabbed a sandwich, bought some items, and unfortunately was driving the back country roads in torrential rains, thunder and lightning! Yes, the van leaked. It seems a 50 mph drive through an impactful rain causes water to find its way to my misery. Will deal with it another day and hope for sun in the in-between time!
Photo of a very sweet-tasting chess cake. Bet you never heard of a “chess cake”. I purchased it at an Amish-owned bakery. Also bought a sandwich with lettuce and tomato; a luxury to enjoy when on the road.
Once again I am driving my van to USA’s east coast from the state of Arizona. I always look forward to this trip. I visit friends, family and add points of interest to my itinerary. The USA has many national parks. My current goal is to visit at least four national parks new to me!
Within my first week on the road, I spent a day at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico to observe and photograph birds. In Amarillo, Texas, I slept in the middle of nowhere and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
NW of Amarillo Texas … so flat to easily see a sunset!
In Oklahoma City, I was hoping to bicycle ride on the paved bike trail paralleling the Oklahoma River. As I stepped out of my van and its door flew, I realized the wind would simply blow me on my bicycle over! So I walked and even that had some challenge when a gust came by! Everyone in town was readying for the “Run to Remember” in a couple of days. Many streets were closed. On past travel I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The bombing of a federal building here on April 19, 1995 was horrific; this memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were affected. To this day, I recall the empty chairs and smaller ones for the children … take time to visit the memorial if you are in the area.
My overnight was at a family farm east of Oklahoma City. The have many animals: goats, chickens, dogs, longhorn steer … all rescued. I parked my van and readied for the night. My host mentioned a storm was coming in and suggested I turn my van into the wind. I agreed and thought it a good idea to have the van rock less. He wasn’t sure if the storm would be a tornado, but pointed out their storm shelter, just in case. He also recommended we keep in touch by phone in case he received important information about the storm. I never have my phone on after 8pm, even when I am home. I figured this night would be an exception.
I had never been in a tornado. Past tv news reports I had ever seen would show towns totally destroyed. Visualizing devastation seen on the news, I created a to-go-backpack with what I thought best to have in case I needed to leave my van. Or worse, if my van got picked up and crashed somewhere else I at least had some important items with me. The storm was predicted to arrive between 2 – 4 in the morning. I decided I should get some sleep … discovering it was not easy to do, despite telling myself 4 hours of sleep before the storm would be a good idea. Anxiety struck as I wondered about this upcoming storm. Could it be worse than the wind and rain storm on an island in New York State’s Stillwater Reservoir? There I laid in my tent as that storm was short of blowing me away. I got out of my tent, picked it up and moved it away from the island’s shoreline where trees could buffer the wind. I remember the sound of that storm to this day!
Five o’clock in the morning came with lots of rain … lots of wind … a roar of sounds I could not take time to decipher … the van shook and shook … I thought, could the van lift off the ground? I jumped off my bed and headed to the floor! After a short amount of time, it entered my mind to call my host. Should I be in the storm shelter right now? He said, I think the worst of it has happened. A minute later he called back and said, go to the shelter.
I had my headlamp in hand, put on my raincoat and grabbed my to-go-backpack. Immediately I wondered which door best to exit the van. With all the rain and wind, I decided to go out the driver’s door. The passenger seat had things on it and the sliding side van door seemed too cumbersome to maneuver with this storm.
It was dark! The headlamp worked okay, except I was moving so fast I did not see all the tree branches on the ground or the pools of rainwater. I slipped and landed on my left hip! Geez … more twigs, water, darkness and then finding the shelter in the dark … I arrived and climbed the steps down into a shelter not larger than a closet, and one you could not stand in. My host’s family: his wife and two children were already in the shelter. I sat in my host’s chair as he went to the house to check on the latest weather report. He also checked on his animals and his property.
At least a half hour later we emerged from the storm shelter. His wife told me this was their first use of the shelter this year. Tornadoes come through the end of April through mid-May. My host said it was a tornado with 90 mile per hour winds and not a large one! Large enough to shake my van, was all I could think!
We were all safe! We walked to my van and discovered a tree on the side of the sliding door. If I had decided to exit the van that way, I would never had been able to get out! Plus if I had not turned my van into the wind, the tree would have fallen on my windshield and engine. I was very, very lucky! My host’s property was not so fortunate. A tree on their home, shelters for the goats totally gone, their children’s trampoline once again for another year needing to be replaced, plus debris all over the property, and the next day he told me a young goat had died. We cleared a path for my van to exit the property.
This was my first tornado experience! I was appreciative of being with people who knew how to handle the situation. I learned a lot on this day and the next. My blog post will continue tomorrow.
As I was hiking the trail between Proctor Road and Madera Picnic Area in Madera Canyon, https://friendsofmaderacanyon.org, I realized “snowbirders, the people”, are coming and here in SE Arizona! It’s that time of year when many people escape their anticipated cold, long winters where they live and descend upon SE Arizona. Others choose this area because the birding possibilities are numerous. Whatever the reason … welcome!
But also know … I live here year-round and have observed when snowbirds arrive there are more vehicular accidents and traffic on the roads. (We have pedestrian walkways with lights where you must stop with traffic lights to be observed and followed.) The Rillito farmer’s market, our largest one, becomes unbelievably crowded with people, no dogs please, and recently I almost found no parking space. The market only opened 15 minutes earlier! Next time I will bike/walk to the market which is right off the Chuck Huckleberry Bike Loop. You know about that bike loop, right? (If not, check it out, http://tucson loop.org it is a gem in Tucson and beyond.)
I am not complaining … or maybe a bit … but please know it is a wonderful area to visit in the winter and I wish to see it remain safe on the roads and pleasant in the canyon. Some of you may want to observe the elegant trogon and others may wish to hike a trail with other pleasant people. I saw 8 people walk on a trail and totally miss the elegant trogon in the tree. Stop being distracted on the road or trail and take time to LOOK! I know snowbirders are here and we can co-exist, but take time to look on the road and trail!
Bicycling is fun and so is birding. Combine the two activities and there is a challenge at least while I ride my Trek bicycle. I can cycle along and hear the cactus wren at the cholla cactus, the curve-billed thrasher by the cactus or under a creosote bush, or a common raven cawing overhead. But as soon as I coast, stop pedaling, on my bicycle there is a buzzing sound flushing birds from the area! Very frustrating if I want a closer look at the bird or even a photograph!
Well my reality is I am not going to stop birding while bicycling. Instead I have realized I should just keep pedaling, even if it is slowly, when I want to take a closer look. Or pass by the area where a bird is or stop before where I think I am hearing the bird!
We have a wonderful bike loop here in Tucson, Arizona so many bicyclists are out cycling and maybe not as observant of some things that I may notice. At times I stop to observe, listen, and take in a moment. I’ll continue to bicycle and bird …
By the way, the clicking sound is like that of a ratchet wrench, if you know what that is. On a bicycle, the sub-component of a bike’s rear wheel is the free hub that allows the wheel to keep spinning even when I have stopped pedaling. The drivetrain is instantly disengaged until there is a transfer of power from me to the wheel when I pedal. There is more to this in the world of “pawls” to understand the creation of the clicking sound; I will not get into here. I just want to get outdoors to cycle and bird! Hope you are having a great day!
My campsite is near a bicycling trail, the Salado Creek Trail. It finally stopped raining so I hopped on my bicycle. This trail section is only 7 miles long through a wooded area paralleling a creek. There are some tricky intersections so having my app to check my location a couple of times did help. Anyway to my surprise, I caught up with 2 bicyclists, one from Minnesota and the other a city-employed “trail steward”. She works 3 – 4 days a week, 4 hours per day, and bicycles the path so people feel comfortable knowing where to go. I also suspect the city had a homeless problem in areas under bridges and with much of the wooded areas of the trail. I had a good ride and talk with them and cycled around the nearby lake before heading back. I extended my ride for about 1.5 miles beyond the campground. I noticed they are working on more bike path extensions. Yippee!
Here are a couple of photos from that ride:
Black vulture
Cormorant
Salado Creek Bike Trail
San Antonio Botanical Garden
After my bicycle ride and a much-needed shower, I drove to the San Antonio Botanical Garden, I decided to eat lunch at their restaurant, Jardin, before walking the beautiful gardens. First let me say, my lunch of edamame falafel in a pita bread with mixed salad was absolutely delicious! (And I am very much appreciative of another camper having mentioned the restaurant to me.) While walking the garden I discover this place has rose gardens, a fern grotto, buildings for specific plants: palms and cycads, desert plants, tropical plants and very good signage at each location. There is a Family Adventure area where children can walk a maze, climb on rocks and are encouraged to touch things. A young bride was having her photo taken in various locations in the garden and others were setting up for an upcoming light show here. I have included some photos, but they’ll never do the place justice. If you love plants be sure to visit here …. and plan for lunch or dinner too.
Photos from the garden:
Children Can Learn in Many Environments
I want to take a moment and share an observation I made at a neighborhood park: John Jay Park in San Antonio. I thought this was a brilliant idea in helping parents and care givers of children enjoy time together at a park. This series of signs in English and Spanish lined the park pathway; I did not include them all. An adult encouraging a child to do these activities is wonderful. Check out the signs as I think there is nothing more for me to say.
Never been to Grand Junction, Colorado so all the more reason to add it to my travel plan! Isn’t that what travel is all about? Mix in favorite locations with new ones and your adventure continues! Thanks to conversations with two couples I met on the Riverfront Bicycling Trail, I learned about this area. I met them at different locations so I counted those moments as breathers on my bicycle ride.
This day was my non-driving day; I have them every so often to offset long driving days. So I bicycled the Riverfront Trail from my campground on the eastern side of Grand Junction to Fruita, a mountain biking town I always heard about, on the western side of Grand Junction. The bicycle path parallels the Colorado River. On one side, the path passes parks, a wildlife refuge, a disc golf area, a golf course, red rocks in the distant hills, and of course the river with some floating rafters. There are plenty of benches to sit and contemplate the world. On the other side, the path has an industrial look with businesses and future real estate being developed. One area had Airstreams as Air BNB’s. I also bird-watched as I cycled along.
Air BnB’s are in all shapes & sizes!Colorado River & Colorado National Monument in background.Great blue heron flew back & forth between 2 locations on the river.
I spoke with a “walking-on-the-trail” couple who grew up in Grand Junction, stayed 54 years. I walked with them while we talked. She is planting trees and supporting work for 9 more miles of bicycle trail. He is a city government employee. We talked about the new housing/condos to be built within the next 3 years on what I previously referred to as industrial. He agreed with my assessment of Grand Junction to become a road bicycling magnet and Fruita a mountain biking magnet. He said the snow plow was out only 6 times this past winter, it does stay cold, and they have many days of sunny, blue skies. This is high desert, 4500 feet elevation, and not as touristy and expensive as places like Glenwood Springs. Some inversions in winter, but 245 days of sunshine making it the sunniest city in Colorado. We talked about the homeless people; they are here as in many places I visited. There is a long way between this western city and any other place so I am not sure where homeless go in the winter.
Another “bike-riders-on-the-trail” couple were really fascinating. They are local realtors and been here for 20 years. He made a funny comment, not believing he would stay in what he thought was an ugly place. But he eventually found the downhill skiing and especially the cross-country skiing on the huge mesa here good. Plus the road & mountain bicycling opportunities and time on the Colorado River a surprise. We talked about housing. He pointed to the million dollar house locations, close to the foothills of the national monument; however; there is housing at all price tags. As in any town, finding what works is the challenge. Another interesting point was use of the local Walker airport. They go through TSA checks, onto the airplane quickly to fly to a hub. They catch their next plane with ease compared to going to the big city. Interesting!
In the closing miles of my bicycle ride, I stopped at a mountain biking course where young riders were competing. Wonderful seeing young people outdoors and active. At another location, I watched a quarterhorse competition. Many horse ranches are on this side of town. Tomorrow, I continue exploring.
I wanted to get out on the course too! Looked like fun!I cannot ride a horse to save my life. In my estimation, these riders were fantastic!
This trip is not really all about birds. I must admit to being excited when seeing a new bird though. I checked in at my campground in Salinas. In past trips I have already seen the cannery and other Salinas history, so off I went to Point Pinos in Pacific Grove, California. Will I see a new bird?
I hope we all appreciate the agricultural work done here in California … so many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and there are the workers out in the many, many fields bringing in the food we shop for at our markets. While driving some back roads I discover Castroville is the “artichoke capital of the world”. Cherries and pluots are available now. And while we thank these workers, let’s not forget the truckers who are hauling these products all over the place! I see the trailer trucks here and on the interstates.
At Point Pinos, Pacific Grove, I see the usual birds: various gulls, brown pelicans, cormorants and then black turnstones! The thing about birding, I sometimes have an idea of what I am looking for and other times I discover a bird. I may not recognize the bird, so I photograph it, and later in the day identify it. The black turnstone is a new one for my life list.
Black turnstone
Another day … another bird?
The next day another birding hotspot: Moss Landing State Beach and north jetty where many birds were reported and apparently sea otters. I did not know about the otters till a woman asked me where they were, as we looked out on harbor seals lying in the mud flats. This was the Pantano Marsh area so I decided to walk the state beach and jetty.
Sanderlings and marbled godwits are fun to watch as they run toward the ocean water going out, dig into the sand for food, and run back on the beach as the water flows in! At the jetty, people fish for whatever fish they can catch, or so they tell me.
The usual shorebirds were here too, but as I looked over the rocks on the jetty I saw a bird by itself. I knew what a common murre looks like swimming in water since all field guides have that picture; however, this one??? Hmmm… photo taken and later I identify it as a common murre! Another new bird!
Common murre
I ate lunch in my van and worked at my laptop to download photos and identify some. By the time I finished the work, it was time for a bicycle ride. I take the Monterey Coastal bike path from Fort Ord State Park …plenty of sand dunes here … toward Monterey. I start my Garmin to track my ride and “gale warning” is displayed on the Garmin. Ok, let’s get a ride in before that is a major concern!
Sea otter in the area!
I met interesting people today: couple from Oakland, CA because I found the woman again and could direct her to where the sea otter was eating. The woman, her husband and I could comfortably talk about any topic we wished and did so for a half hour. I also directed them to where the sea otter was … yes, only one sea otter and great fun to watch. I eventually direct others to where I had seen the sea otter.
Sea otter rubbing his belly with the clamsEating one clam and other clam is on the belly of the sea otter.
Another guy from Las Vegas, NV is across from my campsite. He and his wife are winding up 3 month travel pulling their 40 foot trailer. They head to Morro Bay, CA tomorrow for a 10 day stay. I am sure to leave earlier than them in the morning. I have a long ride tomorrow, but this was a great visit for birding and bicycling. Starting early each day with a gray, misty sky that does not burn off and reveal blue, sunny sky till 1:00pm is a bit of a challenge! Times like this I realize how important sunshine is for me. But tomorrow morning, I will be up and out early despite the lack of sunshine!
When I travel, bicycle riding an area new to me is simple joy. This is the main reason I built an area in my van for my bicycle and gear. Plus, cycling gets me from one place to another faster than walking. The downside to cycling, especially when birds are in the area, is to observe them while pedaling, especially those flying overhead. I often take time to slow down and observe them. So far, no bicycle accidents while birding!
(This reminds me of a t-shirt I saw a guy wearing the other day, “Sorry I am late, I saw a dog”. A shirt appropriate for me, “Sorry I am late, I saw a bird”. I wonder if anyone makes that shirt?)
Recently I was bicycling around Mission Bay in San Diego, California. The eleven mile bike path winds through parks and passes nearby housing and resorts so an 8 mph bike speed is recommended. Many people were at the beaches, the playgrounds, on the water in all kinds of watercraft, and also pedaling various wheeled vehicles on the bike path.
I like the bike rack!Paddleboards and boats of all sizes were on the bay, plus swimmers at beaches.
Most of the bike path is not near the bay water’s edge; however, a short section parallels the San Diego River estuary. I saw 3 birds standing on a construction roll where bridge work was happening. The birds were the same type of bird but I could only say they were herons. I photographed them, identified them later in the day, and they were little blue herons! Another new bird for my life list!
They look like herons… but which species?
Little blue heron
I moved closer to photo this bird with hopes it would not fly off.
Most funny moment on this bicycle ride: seeing a jogger with his dog wearing large, sport, mirrored sunglasses! Important to protect eyes! What a fun bicycle ride with a new bird observed and photographed!
