Trail Tales: Iowa to Nebraska

Biking the Bob: From Iowa to Nebraska and Back Again

Today’s high is a “cool” 95 degrees, so we took advantage of the slightly less-scorching temps and set out for a ride along the Council Bluffs River. First stop: the river parking lot near Harrah’s. Or at least, that was the plan… until we discovered it was closed for construction—along with the nearby trail to the riverfront.

But Don doesn’t give up that easily. He rerouted us north of I-29 to Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park, just across the river from Nebraska. Success!

From there, we rode our bikes across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge (yes, that famous “bobbed” bridge) into Nebraska. We explored more of the Lewis & Clark Landing, spotted some sand volleyball courts, and saw new pickleball courts under construction. We also made a stop at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters to collect a national park stamp—a must for us!

Before heading back, we visited Heartland of America Park, where Beth got to swing and be a kid again for a few joyful moments. Then it was back over the Bob to Iowa, where it looks like their side of the riverfront is getting some upgrades of its own.

Total ride: 6.5 miles. Not a bad start for a hot day!Read more