Gathering Place and Tulsa River Trails - OK

After several years of construction,  Gathering Place is now open and free to the public.  It surrounds Riverside Dr. between 27th and 33rd avenues and incorporates a portion of the Tulsa River Trails.  If urban parks across our nation were ranked for quality, this one would undoubtedly rise to the top.  As a result, it is now one of our favorite trike ride destinations.

We began our ride from Cherry Hill RV Park and headed north on the River Parks West Trail.  Fall colors are just beginning to show.  We caught a glimpse of a bobcat near this point but it didn't hang around for picture taking.

The Tulsa River trails are very popular.  Even though the bike trail is separate from the walking trail, we had to ride single file much of the way to allow passing traffic.

Approaching the 21st Street Bridge we catch a shot of  downtown Tulsa and the Arkansas River.  With all the recent rains, the river has rapids and would be extremely treacherous for kayakers. 

The 21st Street Bridge has a steep ramp on the east side of the river.  It's much easier coming down versus going up.

Entering Gathering Place from the west side of Riverside is now simple from the trail.  Rather than crossing traffic at about the 2700 block, ride 2 more blocks and cross over Riverside at about the 2900 block.  Here there is an overpass walking/biking bridge that reminds me of the I-44 overpass facility near Vinita, Oklahoma.

We are now on the Midland Valley Trail that wraps around the east side of Gathering Place.  Then the trail heads north towards downtown Tulsa.  Via connector routes and trail, you can actually ride all the way to Skiatook, if you are so inclined.

 In this portion of the park, bikes, and other toys, are permitted only on the perimeter trails.

Bike parking is plentiful around the park - not quite so much for car parking although it's available as well.

Inside the park there is a mountain of activities to exhaust kids, parents, and grandparents. 

There is also a couple of restaurants and of course, ice cream.  I recommend the salted butterscotch, or carmel butter percan, or chocolate raspberry,  or all three.

For us older kids there is a scooter track, skateboard track, and basketball/volleyball courts.  Well, I might do the basketball.   The scooter track did look fun though.

Heading south down the River Parks East trail we notice the maple trees are in full color.

Crossing the 71st street bridge and heading to the park halfway up Turkey mountain was our biggest challenge of the day.   We generally take one rest stop on the climb.

The Turkey Mountain Park has lots of hiking and mountain biking trails that are worth the effort but not today.

Don't let the climb up Turkey Mountain scare you off seeing this portion of the trail especially this time of the year.  The sandstone cliffs and fall foliage are worth the view.  Our loop around the river which included a short jaunt up the Midland Valley Trail totaled a little over 15 miles.  It was a gorgeous day.

Fred Meijer Berry Junction South Connector - Dalton, MI

The sassafras trees are beginning to show their colors all along this trail.  August 18th seems a little early.  Debbie and I once sampled tea that Michigander friends had made from dried and steeped sassafras roots.  It was okay.  The history is that sassafras roots were formerly used to flavor root beer.

We begin and end our ride from the Duck Creek RV Resort where we camp throughout the summer.  It is located directly across from Michigan's Adventure amusement park.  Screams from the roller-coaster can be heard all summer long.

The trail from our park heading south was just finished this year.  It connects the Fred Meijer Berry Junction Trail to the Bear Lake Trail and the Muskegon Lake Trail.
We now have over 50 miles of dedicated trail available out our front door.

This portion of the trail is not truly a rail trail in that the tracks are still in use.  The trail is not quite so straight or level as a result.

Along the way we met several riders from the Fetch Cycling Club (Fetch is a Whitehall, MI brewery).  They were heading to a pub in Muskegon.  I asked, "Now let me get this straight, you're riding from one brewery to another and then back?"  Their answer, "Exactly!"

Here are a couple of scenic shots along the trail.

For us flatlanders, this small hill at Ruddiman Avenue is challenge enough.

We do cross a few streets, but the major crossings, such as this one at Whitehall road, have crosswalk controls to enhance safety.

Our midpoint destination was Bernie O's Pizza.

They're famous for the pizza on the right called 'The Twist'.  It was once voted one of the top 3 pizzas in the nation by Pizza Today Magazine.  My favorites are their Fusion or Hot Wings style.

Roundtrip ride is about 15 miles.  Our vote is thumbs-up.

Upper Macatawa Greenway Trail - Zeeland, MI

We arrived at the Upper Macatawa Greenway Trailhead around 10:00 am on Monday June 18.  The area is a natural area with a primary biking trail, but there are also hiking trails and mountain bike trails scattered throughout.

I had to determine which path to take at one point.  The hiking trails were obvious but at first it was a little confusing as to the difference between the bike trail and the mountain bike trail.   Oh, the asphalt becomes dirt on the mountain bike trail.  We stayed on the asphalt trail.

The 3 mile trail (6 mile round trip) was completed in 2015 so the bridges and bike trail are in great condition.  If you want to ride more miles, this trail connects to the Fred Meijer Kenowa Trail on the north and the Holland Area trails to the south.

 Debbie and I trade off on who rides the trike and who rides the bike.  If a hill is involved, Debbie rides the trike for stability reasons.  On the flats, she gets the bike for speed reasons.

 The trail is full of curves, reasonable hills, bridges and scenery which make it very interesting.

The creek crossings were definitely worth an observation stop.

Near the top of the hill was a scenic overlook.  There were several small lakes in the lowland marsh.

There goes a mountain bike trail underneath the wooden bike-trail-bridge.

Towards the bottom of the hill, Debbie is riding through a clump of willows.

Now we are near the marsh level looking back on the hill we biked through.

The wildflowers are always worth stopping for.

The songbirds were abundant on the trail.  One homeowner near the trail erected this bird condo to attract them.  That's a Red-winged Blackbird sitting on top of the condo.

One more scenic shot on the return trip through the natural area.

We gathered our bikes and traveled, through Zeeland and on to Holland for lunch.  Holland, Michigan was settled years ago by Dutch farmers, (obviously).  I met a man on the street, (while Debbie shopped the eclectic stores), who was actually from the Netherlands.  He was visiting his aunt who had settled here just after WWII.

Holland is a patriotic town as depicted by the bronze children saluting the flag.

Our favorite spot for lunch in Holland is Cranes.

Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts are on the menu.

We split the City Cristo sandwich.  It's turkey, provolone cheese, honey mustard, apple slices, grilled on apple butter bread, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.   It was pretty good but a bit sweet for us.

We did not split pie.  We each had one.  Oh well, back on healthier eating tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.