Saturday, February 9, 2013

Elkhorn River Ride

Riding gravel roads can be great in the winter but sometimes the views can be boring. I've been looking for a road on google maps that follows the Elkhorn River and found some gravel between Arlington and Fontanelle, Nebraska that looked like it might be interesting.
Friday night Dale and I were building bikes at the shop. We decided little adventure would fit into our lives. It was time to ride someplace we have never ridden before. So today, at a little past high noon, we rode out of Arlington, Ne. on a northwest path. It started with paved rollers for the first 3 miles. As we got closer to the river we found ourselves on gravel on a ridge that overlooked the river. This was just the kind of riding adventure we were looking for. Even for February winter grayness the views were fantastic.
We stopped to take a photo and this friendly black lab made an appearance. Not long after the dog was getting aqquainted a passerby motorist from the area told us that his name was Bob. So we called him "Friendly Bob" because the dogs we typically meet out riding gravel are not very nice.
Once we got to Fontanelle we found a historic building that was worth investigating. The Fontanelle Township Hall is also pictured here. This was our halfway point for the day. We turned our bikes around into the wind and headed south.
After an 8 mile ride back in Arlington we stopped to refuel at "Our Place". Turns out it's a good place to start/finish the ride. We were happy with the adventure and decided it would be worth doing again.
View Elkhorn River Gravel Ride in a larger map

Who is Stratomatic?

My photo
Stratomatica - is my blog place where I document things happening around me or that interest me. The name Strata, geologically speaking, are layers of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers. Too deep? Well, I like guitars. Mostly I like the sound and feel of Stratocasters.