I figured that the weather might not be nice enough in mid-April for a trail ride, but I would play it by ear and default to completing the ride at the gym, if needed. Now, 32 miles probably doesn't sound like big miles to serious bikers- a lot of folks do that on a normal road ride- but to the average trail user or casual biker, that's a lot of miles! It would also be the first of the season for us outside of spinning class and riding the stationary bikes at the gym. You might say, "Well, it's Wisconsin. Flat as a pancake, right? Piece of cake." If you did say that, then you have never done a trail ride on absolute flat land where you have to pedal every single second. I would have traded the route for Virginia or Pennsylvania in a second to get a few downhill coasts in there to stretch the tired legs! Nonetheless, I was determined and felt that it was achievable even though it would be the longest ride attempted for both of us.
April also has been extremely rainy here- I think we have had some rain every day over the last 12 days and we are above average for total rainfall already. The grass has even greened up early. So, we weather was a strong possibility for the ride. I chose to ride the Fox River State Recreational Trail, which runs from the City of Green Bay to the southern Brown County line, partially for that reason. About 10 miles of the trail in the city is paved, so we would have a little bit of help with the weather should the trail be wet. In fact, it rained very early on the morning of the 16th, Easter Sunday this year. But then the clouds parted and the sun came out and it was an uncharacteristic gorgeous April day. Not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the 60s (F).
We started in downtown Green Bay around mid-morning and headed south along the trail, which surprisingly we had yet to visit despite the fact that it is so close. The Fox River Trail does have a user fee for bikers and skaters, so that might be part of the reason. We typically ride the Ahnapee Trail where we can pretty much have the place to ourselves and not deal with dodging lots of people and dogs. Because of the proximity to dense population, I am sure the trail stays pretty busy all season long. I wasn't sure what to expect, but figured that at least some people would be busy with Easter festivities despite the pleasant weather.
The trail is very urban in nature, but was very nice and not overly crowded. The pavement helped a little bit as well (even nicer on the way back!) so that was a treat. We rode along the Fox River for the first few miles past the DePere dam and industrial park and out into farmland. I saw a few turkeys not far from the trail. We also passed a grain elevator (which we find on all the trails) and some of the large capacity dairies in southern Brown. We found out that LedgeStone Vineyards was also right along the trail, but not open. Goal for next time = ride to the winery!
The other issue with many of the the rail trails in this area is that they are very exposed to the sun. There are times in the summer when it is literally too hot to ride. This trail at least had the cooling effect of the river for part of the way, but lots of sun throughout. We made it to the 16 mile mark near unincorporated Greenleaf, stopped for a moment of reflection and a snack, and turned around and headed back for the return 16. Water was also available at several points on this trail in urban parks (mostly at the northern end), so that wasn't an issue like it is sometimes on the Ahnapee. The winds really started to pick up during the last leg, which made it tough to stay upright let along ride straight into it. Flatlands and into the wind, both ways! Seriously!
It was a beautiful day and an enjoyable ride to reflect and enjoy nature (even the urban kind). Unfortunately I usually come up short with photos on bike rides. Nonetheless, whenever I go to nature to find relief, I always do. It never fails.
Fox River State Trail with the Fox River in the background
Near the turnaround point in southern Brown. Nice and quiet, albeit a little bumpy ride!
Also: Green grass in April!!
This quote was printed over the door at the Jack Day Center where I recently had a work meeting. I thought it was pretty thought-provoking. Also, a map of Green Bay was painted on the floor.
We will neVer forgeT 4.16.07
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