This small but stout bridge on a nondescript ‘river’ in central Iowa is our halfway point whether we begin our ride at the southern trailhead in Martensdale or from the other direction at the parking lot juncture just outside the Cumming Tap – a popular stopping point for bikers especially on Tacopocalypse Tuesday nights.

I like it here because of the quiet, the isolation and, especially late in the day, how the trees are reflected in the water below. We don’t stay too long – we’re riding for the exercise, after all! — but just enough to drink from our water bottles, maybe snap a few photos and to compare notes on the ride. And then we mount our bikes, push off and – exhilaration! – we’re flying again.