Thanks to my friend Bob, I now have a camera mount attached to my bike handlebars. I’m able to attach one of my cameras and shoot video as I ride. The two videos included in this post are a sample of a recent ride I did Sunday evening around downtown.

I started my ride from Liberty Condos and made my way  east to the Principal Riverwalk, south to Principal Park (it’s funny that it still says Sec Taylor Stadium on Google Maps, even though they changed names a few years ago), and then west to the Scott Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and then back down 2nd Avenue to Court Avenue, west to 4th and I snaked my way back to 6th and Grand.

My plans are to explore the various downtown trails this fall (weather permitting) and next spring and shoot videos from each of the trails to share. This will give everyone a great look at how wonderful our bike trail system really is. I personally think that we have some of the best bike riding trails around and am thankful that are so easily accessible for downtown dwellers.

P.S. It was pretty windy out there at times Sunday evening so you may here a lot of that during the video playback.

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Posted under Living Downtown
Tags: Biking | Tours | Trails

So I finally broke down this week and purchased myself a bike. I haven’t owned a bike for a few years, because when I lived in the burbs it just set in my garage and collected dust. I’ve been doing a lot of walking this summer downtown on the trails and up down the riverwalk area and to Gray’s Lake and back. I’ve seen a lot of people out on bikes and I think I was the only resident in the Liberty Building with out a bike, so with the help of my good friend and neighbor Renae, we found me the perfect bike on CraigsList.org.

I got my bike Wednesday night and took it for it’s first ride last night. I rode from the Liberty Building east on Locust, then picked up the Principal Riverwalk trails and headed south to Principal Park, then west to Gray’s Lake, circled the lake and then north to Locust Street and back east to the Liberty Building. I’m not sure of the distance (I’ve got to figure out how to use the bike computer or find an iPhone app), but the entire ride took about 45 minutes.

Being able to ride the wonderful trails we have downtown is another great asset that us downtown dwellers have. I’m not sure of other projects downtown, but at 418 Liberty Condos, we have both an indoor bike room on the 1st floor as well as a bike station in the parking garage.

Posted under Living Downtown
Tags: Biking | Trails

One of my favorite pass-times is to go to Gray’s Lake. Gray’s Lake is a great place for a casual walk, a nice run, bike ride or just hanging out with friends or sun bathing. After last year’s devastating flood, the park is coming back to look even better than before.

My favorite thing to do is go for a walk on the 2-mile trail the encircles the lake, especially walking over the 1/4 mile long pedestrian bridge. It looks even better at night all light up with a rainbow of color lights.

Here’s some history about the lake from the City of Des Moines’ website:

Through the centuries, the area that is today’s Gray’s Lake Park was part of the ever-changing course of the Raccoon River. Left behind after one such change in the Raccoon was an oxbow that would become Gray’s Lake Park. Residents of Des Moines in the early 20th century remember this body of water as a small pond. The land was originally owned by T.E. Brown, who sold 79 acres on the eastern edge of the property to Gaylord E. Gray. With concrete just coming of age, Gaylord Gray had the idea of mining sand and gravel out of this lake. He started the business in 1917, and eventually his son, Gaylord E. Gray, Jr., took over the operation. This mining caused the oxbow to increase in size, eventually forming a 100-acre lake. The last large project of the mining operation was the concrete for the main runway at the Des Moines International Airport.

Over the next several years, various plans for city ownership were developed but never brought to fruition. About this time, aerial photographs were being made of the city and the large body of water needed to be named on the map. People had started referring to it as Gray’s Lake due to the partial ownership of the Gray family members.

The name Gray’s Lake was suggested and adopted. After the quarry operations ended, Des Moines Marine Company leased the eastern half to operate Marine Beach. Then, in 1959, a Holiday Inn Motel was built on the southwest corner, setting the stage for commercial development. Each time requests for more commercial development came forward, citizens spoke out against it, urging public recreation instead.

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Posted under Living Downtown
Tags: Recreation | Trails | Walking

Registration is under way for the 2009 Mayor’s Annual Ride for Trails, this annual event that raises money to support the Des Moines Recreational Trails. Downtown benefits with having money to complete the following downtown area trails:

• The connection from Gray’s Lake and the Meredith Trail under Fleur Drive to the Bill Riley Trail
• The Walnut Creek Trail connecting Clive to Water Works Park and Gray’s Lake
• The widening of the Bill Riley Trail
• Conversion of the Southwest First Street bridge to a pedestrian- and bicycle-only bridge

The ride starts at 10 a.m. April 18 at City Hall, 400 Robert D. Ray Drive. The 30-mile route will travel through many area neighborhoods,  but for those needing a shorter route, there is a 20-mile route also available.

Participants can sign up online at www.dmparks.org, or at the City Hall Information Center. Registration will also be available from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on ride day at City Hall. Each rider must complete an entry form.

The registration fee is $25 and includes a short-sleeved cotton T-shirt, refreshments at the rest stop and post-ride festivities at the Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater. There will be sag support and a repair van. A map of the 2009 route will be included in ride packets.

For more information, call Robin Leaper in the Parks and Recreation department at 237-1404.

Posted under Living Downtown
Tags: Biking | Trails