It was the kind of morning I'd been missing for weeks. Overcast & probably at least 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. A perfect day that actually felt like fall! We were looking forward to getting our bikes out on the trails.
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| Start of the actual trail~ |
I don't really think of sidewalks along streets, or riding to the right of a painted line on a road as a
trail. As long as it's designated for bikes, in Iowa & most other places it's a
trail. We did ride a sidewalk for a few blocks, until Butch found a gravel road between buildings that dropped down to an alleyway going right to the trail.
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| The colors were gorgeous! |
The surface was paved & so smooth! It was like cruising through a fall paradise. We enjoyed every mile of the trip north. When we reached the edge of Spirit Lake, near the Hy Vee, we had a choice of trails. Called the
Iowa Great Lakes Trails, from what we rode, they are beautiful hard surface & well marked.
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| Trails junction, Spirit Lake |
It was obvious when we reached the crossing point for two trails. We took photos of the map that was provided there. Our goal had been
Spirit Lake.
From here it was easy to pick the correct trail going the direction we'd planned. It wasn't long at all before we recognized where we were! The same area at the south end of Spirit Lake where we'd driven in 2017.
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| Butch & the bikes~ |
It was such a still & quiet early afternoon. A few people were fishing from the dock. The trail from this point on followed a sidewalk along the road.
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| Sidewalk trail~ |
From here it wasn't far until we turned in an entrance to Isthmus Park. We were greeted by the cute carving below. I wish we had an old stump just so I could have a carving.
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| Owl carving~ |
After our visit & a short stop at the park, we returned on the same trail, back to the trail's junction.
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| Old paddle wheel boat~ |
The old boat above was off to the side. Such a pretty thing, I have no idea if it still floats or what its history was. We decided to take the trail heading almost due west to Lake Park & Silver Lake.
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| Colorful! |
It took us out of town & into the surrounding countryside. A very long, very straight stretch of trail! We rode out to the intersection of Hwy 86 before turning back. At that junction, we could have continued on another six miles or so to Lake Park or turned back south & ridden a sidewalk trail along 86 & around the south end of West Lake Okoboji. Looking at it & the traffic, we decided to return the way we'd come. Next visit, we'll start this way first & plan on visiting Lake Park.
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| Butch heading back east~ |
The open fields were beautiful & thankfully there was hardly any wind. I appreciated getting back into the canopy of the golden trees!
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| Butch's bike along the trail~ |
Back at the Spirit Lake trail head for the second time, we found our way back to the trail to Okoboji. It was a beautiful ride & the sun finally broke through the clouds.
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| Our Routes~ |
By the time we'd returned to our motel, we'd covered just under 24-miles. If we lived in this area, I would have a lot more trails to choose from, but I think most are still at the side of roadways. The Tatnka SKA trace is a newly opened trail of over 11 miles. There are future trails planned too. It was great fun to get out on such a super fall day & ride in a new-to-us area!
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