Thanks for the ride report. Last fall I followed the same trail from SLC north to Ogden and took frontrunner back. I always intended to do the southern section. I have recently moved away from SLC so I imagine it's not a ride I'll get to do now, but now I feel like I was able to.
On Tuesday, 3 September 2019 23:31:53 UTC-6, Robert Hakim wrote: > > Last Saturday I took a ramble from my home near Salt Lake City down valley > to Utah Lake. I reckon it was a bit over 50, perhaps even edging towards 60 > miles in that hot high desert heat. > > I tried to attach photos here, but I believe they were too large. You can > follow along here (or better yet skip my rambling and get to the goods!): > https://photos.app.goo.gl/YaWqzyDfqMZEqF3t6 > > > The route I took was quite nice and peppered with city parks and trail > heads with water taps- a saving grace in the 100*F sunshine- I must have > drank six to seven liters of water en route! It was mostly on a network of > connecting and sometimes patchy bike paths. The central part of the Jordan > River Trail runs just west of I-15 through a number of suburban towns that > fill the valley with their sprawl. I didn't take many photographs on the > first half of my journey, for I wanted to cover ground and avoid the riff > raff that tends to hang around the trail. Once I got farther south, the > path seems to run through more open spaces, where there are more snakes and > birds than humans- at least during midday in the summertime. > > > > > The lake ended up being a bit farther of a ride than I had anticipated, > but no worries- I had nothing to do but ride, and plenty of water en route. > One of my favorite sections of the trail ran from around South Jordan past > Riverton, through Bluffdale and stopped just shy of Lehi. That seemed to be > the stretch with the lowest population density and the highest > concentration of cottonwood and olive trees. The Jordan River Trail rolls > past a couple of open gravel pits before climbing up a small "pass" that > separates Utah County from Salt Lake County. Passing this point, the route > grew more suburban as I approached the mega-mall of Thanksgiving Point and > the Town of Lehi. Not to imply that the riding from here-on-out wasn't as > enjoyable, but I certainly didn't feel the brief solitude I did feel on the > last stretch. Now, I would be sharing the path with the occasional golf > cart through pop-up neighborhoods and oddly green golf courses. > > > > > Meandering on, I finally reached Utah Lake. Grateful to have reached my > destination, but wishing the shore (and the lake) was a bit more suitable > for a swim. The long, shallow, muddy shore and long history of heavy > industry and mining adjacent to the lake kept me from taking a dip. > > While I stopped for some shade and a beer I had carried, I really enjoyed > watching the birds float over this wetland. The wild-land/urban interface > is quite strong here, with habitats for young families, small farms, and > migratory species almost overlapping. It is a bit more open and a little > less crowded here than my neighborhood, and I can certainly see myself > returning to the shores of Utah lake for another ride in the near future. > > > > > Time to begin heading home! I leave the sanctuary of the bike path and hop > onto some quiet- if not rural-feeling roads heading east to the town of > American Fork. Here, I plan to catch the train back to downtown Salt Lake > instead of retracing my route... But not before following a short farm > road to a small beach for one more lake view. > > As I ride past willows as tall as me, I startle hundreds of birds hiding > nearby and they all seem to take flight at once! > > > > > The ride through some modern neighborhoods and along the shore is > uneventful, save for one lifted diesel truck... It is Utah, after all! The > train station is conveniently located at the western edge of American Fork, > allowing for a low stress and low traffic arrival into the station. A > fifteen minute wait on the platform gives me time to reflect on my ride... > Certainly one of the most enjoyable I've had in a few weeks! I often lament > that the train doesn't run on Sundays here, I would love to take advantage > of their bike-friendly cars more often than I do. > > > > > > The only downside of arriving in downtown Salt Lake is that my ride home > is all up hill... getting steeper, and steeper until I finally arrive. > After sitting with stiffening muscles for almost an hour in the aggressive > air-conditioning of the train car, uphill in the heat is the last thing I > want to do! > > > > > Fortunately for me, my favorite brewery is a few blocks south of the train > station- and they typically have a food truck out front on Saturdays. My > partner is easily persuaded with liquid motivation, so I offer a cold > beverage for a ride home. > > > All in all, a great time out on a fantastic bicycle! > > > > Happy Riding, > > Robert, SLC, UT > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/208ac42e-60cd-4cab-9b26-e10de22318db%40googlegroups.com.
