Let us take a moment to toast the return of a fine Twin Cities outdoor tradition, the C to C Bike Ride, which resumed this summer with dozens of families pedaling together along a new and improved Airport Road route.
The ride is a tradition dating back more than a quarter century, but it was put on hold three years ago during I-5 construction at Mellen Street. It returned two weeks ago with about 70 people of all ages participating.
My family and I joined the easy-paced, family-oriented ride from George Washington Park in downtown Centralia to the shady glade at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
At just over 7 miles, the trip was doable even for my primary school-age children. My youngest rode in the bike trailer, but I don’t think he’ll need to stay there for too many more years. I saw a 5-year-old blazing along the trail with his parents. At one point he shot over a full-height curb and I prepared to witness the worst, but he just bounced a few times, came off his seat a little, skidded to a stop still on two wheels, and shot forward again.
We met at the downtown Centralia park outside the library. A man with a long, gray beard and one of those thin, colorful windbreakers worn by the iron-legged folks I call Real Cyclists led the way. We set off down Centralia College Boulevard and waved to the Centralia Police Department officers who handled traffic duties in the main intersections. It was fun to see the new Mellen Street freeway interchange up close and personal. The best part of the ride began just a few feet beyond the new traffic light, when we turned left onto the new bicycle path along Airport Road.
The path, protected as it is by ridiculously large Jersey barriers, is as safe as can be for children. It passes along the banks of the Chehalis River and past the abandoned former Midway Meats property. There are a few unexpected public art pieces along the trail, including a giant pickup-sticks style installation. There’s a solid new bridge across Salzer Creek and a nice incline up to where the road now crosses over the Airport Dike. We took a right here and stayed on the old circuitous segment of Airport Road, which skirts the boundaries of the levy. On the right we saw farm fields that will be mighty wet come flood season.
At Riverside Golf Club we watched the golfers on this fine Saturday morning, and rounding the airport we came to the ramp up to the West Street freeway overpass. I had told my kids it would be the sole hill on our uber-flat route.
I was expecting my daughter, on her fixed-gear bike, to be forced to dismount and walk. With a preschooler literally in tow on my own bike, I was prepared to do the same myself. I was pleasantly surprised that both of us could make it up on pedal-power alone.
After a rest break to let the whole group catch up, we continued into Chehalis. An unexpected hill near Westminster Presbyterian Church slowed us down (it’s a hill you don’t notice in a car, but on a bike you’re aware of every dip and rise.)
We ended at Recreation Park, where the few scattered trees provided the perfect amount of shade. A group of teenagers, part of the Christian group called Young Life, put on a bunch of games for us. We had some kids vs. adults rounds of tug-of-war, we played an oversize game of the wood tower game Jenga, swooped under a parachute, and more.
I didn’t have a chance to personally congratulate the parks and recreation personnel who brought the C to C Bike Ride back to life, so I’ll do it here. Thank you, Lilly Wall of Chehalis and Julie Liseth of Centralia, for a great event that reminds us of why this is such a rewarding place to live. Likewise, my hat’s off to the fine folks of the Centralia-Chehalis Optimists Club, who ran interference at the intersections to keep us safe.
I was able to thank and shake the hand of John Gust, the Real Cyclist who led us from C to C. Turns out it’s a labor of love for him.
“Anytime the two cities can get together, that’s wonderful,” he told me. “Anytime children can be involved, it’s even more wonderful. I want to be part of that.”
As dozens of kids cavorted around us, enjoying a laid back morning in the shade of a hometown park after a fine trek across our shared countryside, I knew exactly how he felt.
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Brian Mittge’s community column appears each Saturday. Drop him a line at brianmittge@hotmail.com or come by to say hello to him tonight. He’ll be playing at an 8 p.m. folk music concert at The Matrix Coffeehouse.
