Oh me, I didn't want to ride today. I had gotten up very early and worked on the computer 5 solid hours before 11 AM. I was already tired. But when I checked the weather report the next two days look to be rain. So, I hopped on my bike and headed for the park, taking my book along.... just in case.
A number of days ago Jim Glaser had contacted me to say he has been getting back on his bike after several years of not doing so, and he wanted some advice on trails and such. I answered his note, telling him as best one can about remote trails, but wishing he would call back one day and we could go together.
I had just gotten a couple blocks away, in front of Spaghettaria Mamamei and there was Jim coming down Tamm on his ride. I suggested we go to the park, but he assured me he wasn't yet up for 15 miles. I said no matter, I'll show you a few places -- and off we went.
We went through the park, over the Tamm bridge, out toward Skinker, down Skinker some 100 yards or so to the trail which heads in there and gots toward the back of the Art Museum. We rode out on those upper fingers of the Art Museum parking lot with the awesome overlook of Grand Basin. Next we rode down the same trail (past where they are already building the Shakespeare in the Park set) and down to the Grand Basin itself.
We circled that, and headed back out toward the zoo, up past the boat house, across the bridge and to the Visitor's Center (the old golf shop). We went there. Jim had asked in his e-mail where one could get just a sandwich and drink and I wanted to show him the cute little Forest Perk Cafe (yep, perk, I didn't misspell it).
Jim allowed he was getting very tired, and here we were at the flats of the "lowlands." To get back to Dogtown one has to get to the highlands somehow. That's a problem. And Jim has even more to do. Once he's get into Dogtown he has to get home way way up on Plateau one a block from McCausland, a huge hill to climb.
But Jim wanted to see the wet lands. We crossed over and rode through the wet lands, over those cute long wooden bridges and to Steinberg Rink. (Where in the summer they have sand volleyball.) What I think is the most gradual hill in the park to get back out is the one that runs between the north side of Triple A golf course, and south of the set of baseball fields by the Muny, and between Triple A and the Jewel Box.
That got us out to the circle that leads back to Hampton and the zoo. That was a solid 7 miles of riding, and Jim still had a ways to go.
We really had a great time and I'm hoping to run into him again in the park. I still had a wopping 8 miles to go so I headed east and left the park, up past Kingshighway and to the marvelous little coffee shop I love at the corner of Arco and Taylor, La Dolce Via. It was just after noon but not many people were there. I got a coffee and ordered a loaf of their awesome French bread which they baked for me. I sat and read for well over an hour and half, eating nearly the entire loaf of bread and drinking much too much coffee. Their Vienna roast is nice and strong and I love it.
Refreshed at now at 8 1/2 miles I headed back into the park, and back through the wet lands. Jim and I had seen a very unusual phemenon and I witnessed it again and hung over the railing of the wooden bridge to watch. There were very large schools of small catfish (4 schools, each having 50-100 fish in it), they were at the top of the water eating somehthing that looked like the small seed pods from some flowers than had blown into the water. What surprised me was than none of the many fish eating birds in that very area seem to have discovered them, or perhaps like me, they don't much care for catfish.
I rode on, again circling the wet lands, the Muny Opera, the boat house and back out to Lindell and the Historical Museum, getting there just as I need to at 12.3 miles. Along Lindell, out to Skinker, up Skinker to Hi-Pointe and home, pulling up my lawn on the dot, 15.4 miles. Well, not so much on the dot, .4 a mile overshot.
I haven't written much about the park in the past few days, but I've been there every day, loving it. Today there was a slight breeze and I noticed the turtles don't lay out on the logs as much when it is windy, just a few today, but there were about 15-20 two days ago on a warm and calm day.
The park is just coming to life in this late spring. It is so beautiful.
Any of you with a bike, why not join Jim and me on a ride one of these days...... I'll show you some "out of the main roads" trails that are fun to ride. Not many hills either.
By the way, there at the meeting of the Dogtown Historical Society meeting last Saturday Henry Herbst raised the question of the bridge over Hwy 40 at Tamm Ave. Henry believes that a replacement bridge is NOT in the works for Tamm. since all bridges are being taken down, if there is no replacement the Dogtown will be SERIOUSLY hurt, losing one of the main entries to Forest Park that we have. Anyone know more about this?
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