Cycling Across Chicago by Jeannette Moss -- The Lantern -- November 1999

Deborah Howe has been riding a bike since she was a kid growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She even goes back there on occasion to ride around in the hills--her favorite terrain. Evanston is a long way from Cincinnati so now she bikes down Tower Road to add a little excitement to the ride. On the weekends she likes to take time for a spin--but no mere spin around the block--more like a 25-30 mile bike trip!

Deborah feels great when she bikes. The fresh air and exercise keep her healthy so it is no surprise that her bike is also her main source of transportation to and from work. She commutes from south Evanston every day except for the days when there is snow or slush on the ground, or the days that she calls her "lazy days"--when she rides in on her scooter instead!

Along with being a source of recreation and transport, bicycling has brought Deborah some fame--she won a 60-mile woman's relay race at the Illinois State Championship Time Trials in Kankakee a few years ago. Deborah is also a collector of bicycles. She owns 3 speed bikes, 3 road bikes, and of course, her scooter!

Deborah's advice: watch out for open car doors.

Jeff Garrett began bicycling seriously while he was living in Europe. He bought himself a bike and took his first big trip in 1970, from Koblenz, Germany to Haarlam, Netherlands. A year later he rode from Greece through Yugoslavia and Hungary all the way up into France. Another trip in 1979 took him from Milan to Orvieto, Italy. He took the old Pilgrimage Path, a high trail dating to the middle ages, when people used it to safely pass by the valleys where the notorious Black Death plague had settled. The fresh, clean air at that elevation didn't hurt Jeff either. It came in handy during that two-week trek.

Nowadays, Jeff bikes the Green Bay Trail to and from work every day, three seasons out of the year. He leaves his home in Highland Park in the morning and 40 minutes later, give or take a few (his record time is 36 minutes!) he arrives at the library. The Green Bay Trail parallels the old North Shore Line tracks and the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NWR), now Metra. For anyone interested in exploring the Green Bay Trail, it starts way up in Kenosha, Wisconsin and ends in Kenilworth, two towns north of Evanston. Jeff says that passing through Wilmette and Evanston is difficult and dangerous for bikers. There is no more quiet, tranquil trail and he has to cross some busy parking lots and merge with traffic to finally get to campus. Jeff puts the bike away for the winter when it gets too dark to ride home--right around now--and brings it out again in April.

The apple of his eye, his 11-year-old-son, Nathan, recently took a 47-mile bike trip with him in Michigan and often meets him a few blocks south of home in the evenings to finish off the bike ride with him. Jeff's wife and youngest son, Tim, also accompany him on an occasional bike ride.

Jeff still has much unexplored territory lined up for himself--and for Nathan, whom he plans to take on a bicycling trip to Ireland next year. He also intends to follow the Illinois River trail, southwest of Chicago, in the near future.

The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation works closely with local, state, and federal agencies for better, safer trails and pathways, especially within the city. As a member of the CBF, Jeff, along with so many others, can give voice to this cause.

Jeff's advice: The Des Plaines River Trail is the best place to bike in this area, especially the stretch from Half Day Road to the Wisconsin border.

There are many other NUL folks who use the bicycle as a primary mode of transportation and recreation. Catherine Wirth, Janalee Croegaert, Giselle Simon and Lesa Dowd are just a few of them. Giselle's bike that she occasionally takes to work was custom-made by her own brother. Lesa Dowd lives on Fullerton in Chicago and makes the 12-mile trip to the library in about 40 minutes. She often gets here faster than she would either by car or by train! Lesa has participated in many races on her mountain bike and during the weekend, she loves to explore the area forest preserves.