I rode two different sections of the Great Western Trail during the last two weeks.  Last week I finally got around to riding the entire length of the eastern section of the GWT in one shot.  That was one of my goals before winter.  I started at the Prince Crossing Rd parking lot and rode to the trail’s terminus in Downtown Villa Park.  Below is my tracklog with some annotations.

It was a very pleasant ride.  The trail lacks any steep terrain changes.  It’s a little steep going westbound at Grace St in Lombard, but that is such a short incline that it is negligible.  If I recall correctly, there were inclines leading to the I355 bridge, but nothing that kicked my butt.  Most inclines are minor and short.  I really enjoyed this ride.  The terrain, scenery, and mixed suburban and prairie characteristics of the trail were nice.  Sometimes you were in the woods, at one point you pass an industrial park, you go through a cement manufacturer, you go between people’s backyards.  It’s a good variety.  I also liked the periodic stops you would have to make to cross streets.  It gave me a moment to take a break and look around.  I have to give props to DuPage County about the road crossings  on this trail – at crossings of most roads, there is a trail sign that says which road you are crossing.  Quite useful for determining where you are.

Trail traffic was OK.  Wasn’t deserted, but wasn’t busy either.  Note to joggers and walkers – please keep your ears open.  I came across two silly blondes walking side-by-side down the middle of the trail, and one of them was walking a dog while wearing earbuds.  I announced my intent to pass twice, and neither heard me.  I was tempted to say “Move over, bitch” but didn’t feel like getting shoved off my bike.  I ended up passing in the grass.  Now why would someone listen to an iPod while talking to someone?  Must be a blonde thing.

This ride was unique because it had some very fragrant sections.  There was a strong Mexican spice smell behind a business park just east of Gary Ave.  I later found out Con Agra Foods has a facility there that handles spices.  Smelled great, though I don’t think I’d want to live near there.  Farther east along the trail, I believe near the crossing of Westmore Ave in Lombard, I smelled tortillas.  The Google Earth POIs show a Mexican restaurant here.  Makes sense.  Saving the best for last, there were some awesome breakfast smells near Ardmore Ave in Villa Park.  I’m pretty sure it was there.  Going east, I encountered some great fried breakfast food smells.  When I was making the return trip westbound, I smelled pancakes and a hint of what may have been chocolate.  Chocolate chip pancakes?  I dunno, but something smelled really good.

I took a few photos along the way.  Below are a mural and a veterans’ memorial in Villa Park.

Total distance was 22.61mi, at an average speed of 8.3mph and a max speed of 19.6mph.

Great Western Trail – West Section 9/13/2009

The western section of the GWT is too much for me to ride in one outing.  It goes from St. Charles to Sycamore, paralleling Illinois Route 64.  Today I rode from the Leroy Oaks Forest Preserve in St. Charles to Illinois Route 47 in Lily Lake.

The ride did not get off to a good start.  There was more trail traffic and more hills than I had expected.  I am convinced I am going to run over somebody’s dog during a bike ride.  It’s not if, but when.  So many dog owners are clueless and let their dogs run around on a loose leash.  If you are walking your dog on the trail and other trail users are around, your dog needs to be on a tight leash, ie. the dog is at your side.  I have had so many near-misses with dogs.  Today I announced my intent to pass a woman walking her dog on a slack leash.  She didn’t hear me.  When I saw she had headphones on, I didn’t bother announcing myself again and just passed in the grass.  Come on guys!  I use an MP3 player when I ride, and I keep it turned down enough that I can be sure to hear other riders and joggers on the trail as well as any cars there may be at road crossings.  Using a responsible MP3 player volume is a matter of courtesy and safety.

I’m not too keen on this section of the GWT.  Lots of yuppies use it since it goes through the St. Charles and Campton Hills area.  More traffic than I like to see.  Also, the trail as a whole isn’t bumpy, but there are many jarring bumps along the way.  The bumps are most common at the edge of the trail.  The trail is made of asphalt and dirt/crushed stone, and both pavements had these occasional bumps, holes, and ruts near the shoulder.

Also, I swear this trail was nothing but a steady incline going west.  I can only think of two instances when I wasn’t going uphill.  My GPS tracklog and Google Earth’s elevation readout confirm this.  I looked at the elevation change from the start of the rail-to-trail part of the trail in St. Charles to where I turned around at IL47 in Lily Lake.  Google Earth showed an increase in elevation from 748ft to 921ft.  My tracklog shows an increase from 800ft to 938ft.  Either way, it’s a rise of about 150ft.  It may not be much for a more physically fit rider, but for me, I got tired of going uphill.  I handled it physically, but constantly seeing the land rise wore on me.

Anyway, once I arrived at Lily Lake, I was tempted to ride a little farther.  Past experience has shown that I overexert myself when I try to ride a little extra.  I stuck to my original plan to turn around there.  However, I did make a little detour during the return trip to St. Charles.  I left the GWT to follow a trail that led into a neighborhood near the crossing with Brown Rd.  The trail didn’t go anywhere.  It just made a T in a wealthy neighborhood that never got completely built out due to the economic downturn.

I just mentioned the trail crossing a road.  I should note that Kane County did not have any markers on this trail naming the road you are crossing.  They do provide milemarkers and fire district address signs.  They can be helpful if you have to phone in an emergency, but aren’t too useful for determining where you are.  People navigate by road name, not by milemarker or address grid.

The whole ride wasn’t a downer.  I did get to see a pretty rollerblader twice.  I also set a new personal record for average speed.  My average speed for this ride was 9.5mph.  There was a period where I rode at a steady 14 mph.  I was impressed.  I even passed a few people going uphill.  Maybe they were just slow riders, but I think my strength and stamina have markedly improved over the last three months.  Anyway, here are the stats for today’s ride.  I went 17.13mi with an average speed of 9.5mph and a max speed of 18.7mph.

I just started a spreadsheet to keep track of my rides.  I compiled my notes from previous rides.  Since I started riding my bike in June, I have ridden 170.39mi.