Neighborhood Routes - Going to the Dogs

Hartley Park Map

I was pretty intimidated by Duluth's hills when I first started this bicycle adventure.  I live on the East Hillside, just down the hill from UMD.  I thought that to take an evening bike ride, I'd have to drive my vehicle to a flat spot and bike from there.  It hasn't turned out that way, even though I do often head to flatter parts of the area when wanting a change of scenery.  I have found two routes from my house that I am able to do and I enjoy.  The first is a round about route that uses the oddly designed Kent Road to head diagonally up the hill, making it an easier ascent.   I then head in to Chester Park, do a couple hills on Skyline Drive, and then coast down the hill to home, or if I have time and energy, I'll do the route again.  I like the mix of hill climbs and coasting, with a few flat spots in between...kind of  like an interval workout (okay, I admit it, I am not really sure what an interval workout is...it sounds good though).

The second route I like is to head up into the UMD campus and chug up the low grade, but long hill on Hartley Road into the southern entrance of Hartley Park.  I take the fairly wide trail that was once a road (hence the trail's name: Old Hartley Road) to the pond.  I admit the first time I tried this route, I turned back on the hill on the Hartley Road, too winded to continue.  But after a few more rides, I tried again, and I made it all the way to the pond.  This exercise stuff is working!  

So, even in hilly Duluth, there are some good routes for beginners right out your front door.  Actually, use your back door or garage.  Turns out some household members are not fans of dirty bike tracks in the front entry hall.

Crash Course

Well, this one is a real crash.  I had almost hit a jogger on the Lakewalk on one of my first rides, and really did hit a jogger (it was really just a bump) on the Lakewalk on a ride with my sweetie a couple weeks ago.  But I had my first real crash in Hartley Park.  I saw the jogger and her unleashed black lab on the trail well ahead of me, so I had slowed down to pass the dog, who was on the opposite side of the trail from the jogger.  She called the dog, but it had poor hearing, and it stuck to my right...until the last second when it turned left in front of me.  I hit the brakes hard, but still hit the dog.  The dog yelped and I managed to even stay upright.  Everyone seemed okay.  The jogger apologized, and once again, I meant to say something nice and helpful, but out of my mouth comes: "Get a leash, lady!"  Oh well.  

A footnote to the Crash Course: I passed six dogs on Old Hartley Road that night and none had leashes.  There is a city leash law, but it is not enforced.  Unfortunately this experience has led me to not bike in Hartley Park anymore.  I don't yet feel confident in my ability to avoid a dog collision.  So other routes will have to suffice.  It's too bad.  Hartley has great trails for mountain bikers. It is not my intent for this blog to be a political vessel for cyclists, but we do know that dogs and riders have a strained relationship at times.