There is no easy way to get around this so I guess we will just have to ride the other parts of the trail until this construction is finished (expected to be around May 1st).

I actually went up the steep hill just before the bridge and tried to find a way around but there was nothing. Some people were cutting through a business and going out to Algonquin road but they now have a fence and no trespassing sign there and even if you got through at that point you would still have to ride on busy Algonquin Road (not my idea of fun).

I was thinking about all these little bridges that we cross all the time on these bike paths and thinking about that old Joni Mitchell song “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”! One fairly insignificant bridge and it ends your ride in that direction.

My ride to Algonquin was not a complete bust though. After checking out the bridge situation we turned around and rode the Prairie and Fox River Trails south to Elgin and it was a pretty nice day for a ride.

That part of these 2 trails is completely clear and open (from Algonquin to Elgin).

I uploaded our ride from yesterday to the GarminConnect site and posted a link to it on the about-bicycles Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/AboutBicycles

The trail is clear except for quite a few sticks and leaves that you need to watch out for plus there is one dead tree that fell down and is covering one lane on the trail.

The downed tree is just east of the Grassy Ridge Meadow entrance (the forest preserve parking area) in the wooded area along Central. The tree only covers one lane so it is easy to get around but it could catch you by surprise if you are not aware of it (or not paying attention).

I actually tried to move it out of the way but it was too heavy for me to move. We’ll just have to wait for the Forest Preserve people to move it or cut it (or for someone stronger to give it a try!).

One other note on this same topic. Since it is fall, i saw 3 deer along the trail today and was actually able to get really close before they ran off. One of them had a full rack which was pretty impressive.

It’s been a low mileage year for me so far and I just now passed the 300 mile mark for the season (I reset my odometer at the beginning of each bike riding season). The wet cold spring along with having a lot going on in my life hasn’t given me a lot of riding time but that should be changing soon.

I just did 19 miles out on the Paul Douglas Bike Trail (and I just did a quick post on the conditions of the trail under the “bike trail conditions” section.

The weather has been good for bike riding although it has been cloudy with the possibility of rain and storms lurking around the corner most of the time.

I have written about the advantage of checking the local weather radar, when the conditions look questionable, a few times in this blod now. but I really can’t emphasis the advantage of this enough. It is extremely accurate and helpful.

Anyway, it was a great day for a ride and I am hoping for many more (real soon)!

It has been very wet though and a few days ago the usual part (on the Huntington/Freeman road side) was flooded once again. It was about 2 to 3 inches deep for about 8 or 10 feet. It was not a problem to ride through but if you were walking, jogging or maybe even rollerblading it would be an obstical.

Tonight was in the 80s and I only had time for my shorter route which I do in the north east part on Inverness (between Roselle and Ela and Palatine Road and Algonquin) rather than my longer route in the Paul Douglas forest preserve.

I don’t have as many bike miles this year (so far) as I have in the previous few years by this time (I keep track of everything!) but I have been riding at a pretty decent pace this year which feels really good.

More later..