Cycle Life Challenge Ride #4
Rides every day but most are redundant loops and out and backs and nothing much to see we haven’t already seen. So, the Challenge Rides are reserved for rides of a little bit different nature.
Today, the day dawned bright and beautiful but with a moderate SW wind. So in light of that Dave and I took off southward along a usual route but extended it farther south to the Hubbard Trail Country Club,
Pretty nice 9 hole golf course (neither of us play golf) which years ago entertained the more ‘elite’ of the area. Industrial managers, bankers, lawyers, doctors, and the like. Back then the more pedestrian of us were clearly not of the social stratum to be invited to join.
Today all that has changed and their finances dictate that we are more than welcome — go figure! Few takers. Several years ago, Dave and I were there, went to the Pro Shop hoping to buy a cup of coffee and were denied — for club members only we were told.
Today we cheerfully rode on past and stopped at the North Fork for our break.
The SW wind was now a great tailwind all the way back to town. Excellent ride of approximately 20 miles.
Here are some photos:
Hubbard Trail Golf and Country Club
Est 1925
9 hole golf course
Another view as Dave pedals past
Pro Shop and golf car barn
Where if you would like to purchase some coffee they respond with a Susie Ormand style DENIED!!
On to the North Fork where a bald eagle is resting!
Rare to see around here
Taking off back toward Danville and Lake Vermilion
Diamond Back and Raleigh at the North Fork
North Fork at low ebb — little rain lately
View upstream
Wind turbines
Technicians have to repel down those blades to inspect for deterioration
Pile of lime for next years crop of soybeans in this field
Harvesting soybeans and attendant cloud of crop dust
And yes the dust can collect on the combine and catch fire
North Fork upstream from previous photos
Difficult to tell, but descending a moraine and will approach 20 mph
Post ride Cat Scan
Rich-Illinois
Very much enjoy all the entries you all have provided -- great to see the everyday cycling venues. Being in eastern Illinois, scenery certainly isn't our forte, but oh well, the roads are normally quiet. Look forward to more and more entries from all of you, I do have a few over on BL -- in Bill's Day Rides, and one journal.
6 response to "Cycle Life Challenge Ride #4"
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I know the feeling about riding a lot, but the same routes. I’m on a 45 day streak right now, but it’s pretty much the same couple loops all the time. Ah, 2020. Looks like you guys had a nice ride though.
Forty-five days! I know you can keep it up.
Looks like a very pleasant ride and like one of those nice warm autumn days that you soak up before the grey junk of November. Your golf club reminds me that in Melbourne, where they are still under the 5km lockdown, people in a couple local government areas have started using the golf courses as parks since they’re not allowed to golf and there are few public open spaces that have enough room for everyone trying get out for their 2 hours of outdoor time each day.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/locals-want-covid-normal-to-include-turning-golf-course-into-parkland-20200925-p55zea.html
Nice ride, Rich!
Great job on the baldy pictures. It is still my favorite bird despite its scavenging. I can remember the days when bald eagles were considered very rare and if you managed to see one you were very lucky indeed. Now I see them all the time in the Mississippi River valley of course, but I’ve also seen them in the most unlikely of places in my travels.
Also, the exclusivity of those golf courses has extended to MY Town. The Hastings Golf & Country Club could no longer sustain itself on the membership fees of the local doctors and lawyers and successful business owners, so they opened up to regular riff-raff like me. Too bad for them, I quit golfing about 20 years ago.
I enjoy all your rides Rich ;’-). Thanks for keeping us up to date! Exclusive clubs seem, for the most part, to be thankfully gone for lack of funds from exclusive members!!