Crossing paths on the road less traveled: Bicyclists look for new ways to get around
By DAVID FITZGERALD - dfitzgerald@nwherald.com
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| McHenry County Bike Club members (from left) Barbara Mahr, Eberhard Veit and Ann Wall ride the Winding Creek bike path between Miller Road and Village Road in Crystal Lake. (H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@nwherald.com) |
LAKEWOOD – Barbara Mahr likes to take the road less traveled when she goes from her Lakewood home to the Algonquin area to shop.
Her way avoids Randall Road and takes her through scenic vistas, around winding creeks, and past countless seasonal flowers in full bloom.
Through trial and error, Mahr, an avid bicycle rider, has charted her own path that stretches from Crystal Lake’s Main Beach, through Lake in the Hills and ends up at the Algonquin Commons. She even mapped out her path from Fetzner Park to Algonquin Commons for other bikers to follow.
“It’s very pretty,” Mahr said. “I hear a lot of birds singing, and the plants are very pretty right now.”
The path has only short stretches on roads for when Mahr jumps from one bike path to another. As more and more towns and subdivisions have started including bicyclists in their plans, local paths have begun to cross.
“You just have to find the connections,” Mahr said. “I’m always looking for those connections now.”
Eberhard Veit, president of McHenry County Bicycle Advocates, said many members of his group have found their own connections, as Mahr has, to get from their house to a specific destination.
Veit said many communities now have started implementing bike plans and contacting his group for help applying for grants.
“There are a lot of good things going on,” Veit said.
McHenry County Bicycle Advocates, however, is circulating a petition and working with both county and city leaders to try to get a bike lane included in the Rakow Road widening project.
Currently, bikers can ride on the shoulder, but the construction project would eliminate that option, cutting off a good east-west connection for bikers.
Trudy Wakeman, Lake in the Hills parks and recreation director, said she is working with Crystal Lake officials to try to create bike access along Rakow Road.
She said towns often work together to get their bike paths to link up.
“It takes all those little links to make one big link,” Wakeman said. “The master plan is we all try to connect.”
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From Lake in the Hills to Algonquin Commons
• Start at Fetzner Park on Alexandra Boulevard, 0.16 mile east of Golf Course Road.
• Right onto trail (before bridge).
• After 0.25 mile, cross Alexandra Boulevard.
• Continue on trail along creek.
• At 0.73 mile, cross Village Road; trail continues a little to the left.
• At 1.03 miles, cross Miller Road. (Get off bike, or ride west to the next intersection and back.)
• On left, enter park and continue right on trail.
• After about 1.8 miles, keep left over bridge.
• At about 2 miles, right on Harvest Gate Road, up the hill.
• At 2.88 miles, cross Algonquin Road at light.
• Trail continues on other side. Right along road, then ...
• Left into Woods Creek conservation area.
• At about 3.7 miles, cross Bunker Hill Road.
• Turn right and soon left along creek. (Left on road gets you to Meijer, Home Depot, etc.)
• Cross road at 4.1 miles.
• Continue on trail.
• At 4.23 miles, go straight. (Or left up the hill to Algonquin Library, continue left on road to Target.)
• At 4.4 miles, turn left before bridge.
• At 4.8 miles, enter road (Harnish Drive).
• Turn right on Boyer Road.
• At 5.08 miles, turn left at stop sign on County Line Road. (Trail on right side of road.)
• At 5.4 miles, reach Algonquin Commons.
Source: Barbara Mahr
