Let's Ride to the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lake Bluff Brewery

Details

Time: May 10, 2014 from 9:30am to 5:30pm
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden
Website or Map: http://goo.gl/maps/QvSqg
Event Type: social, beer, spring
Organized By: WalkThroughWater
Latest Activity: May 9, 2014

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Description

Let’s celebrate our release from winter’s imprisonment by riding bikes along the North Branch Trail to the Chicago Botanic Garden. After a few hours ...there we will ride up another 11 miles up the Robert McClory bike path to the Lake Bluff Brewery then take the train back.

We Will Meet at Logan Square Monument. From there we will ride up Elston to the Milwaukee-Devon trailhead.

Proposed map: http://goo.gl/maps/QvSqg

*Tentative Schedule*:
9:30: leave Logan Square Monument
10:30: Leave Devon and Milwaulkee and start the North Branch Trail
12:30 (hopefully a lot earlier): arrive at Botanic Garden
2:15: leave Chicago Botanic Garden
3:30: arrive at Lake Bluff Brewery
4:21: Train #820 leaves Lake Bluff (arrives OTC @ 5:30)

Since it looks like there are a large number of people coming and there are 20 bikes allowed on the UP-N, there is another train that leaves Lake Bluff at 5:20, so more beers can be had.
~ OR ~
if enough are interested: ride to Mundelein and have a drink at Tighthead Brewing Company, then ride back to Libertryville and take the 8:48pm Milwaukee North train back into the city.

Proposed extended route: http://goo.gl/maps/9dVGf

The first leg to Lake Bluff will be about 40 miles if you start with me by UIC. This will not be an athletic endeavor and want this to be a chill easy day ride, but please make sure you can make the distance.

Also get your bike tuned up! If your bike has been sitting in your basement since October, take it to a shop to get it looked at. You’ll be pretty far from a bike shop if something major happens along the ride.

Things to being:
1) Extra tubes in case you get a flat.
2) Bungee cable for the train ride back.
3) Layers and rain gear for rain (lets hope this isn’t needed).
4) Snacks for along the way. You can bring a lunch, there are picnic areas at the Skokie lagoons. The Botanic Garden does have a food place that sells sandwiches so you can eat there. Lake Bluff also has food at their place.

I’m cool with you meeting us or leaving along the ride as you want. We are mostly paralleling the UP-N line, so if you need to head back to the city or spend more time at the botanic garden, go for it. Beware that if you try to take train 820 from the Botanic Garden, it might be full of bicycles so the conductors might not let you on.

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Comment by djm on May 9, 2014 at 3:57pm: I need to be back earlier so plan to continue directly through CBG and catch the #818 at 2:21.

Comment by WalkThroughWater on May 9, 2014 at 1:33pm: 5 minutes per mile (12 mph) would be nice. I don't mind going a bit slower need be. Totally join! The weather will be so nice.

Comment by Wolf-Pup on May 9, 2014 at 11:09am: What is the ideal pace for this ride? I might be down but I am notoriously slow-kinda like a sloth. But maybe a little faster?

Comment by WalkThroughWater on May 9, 2014 at 6:37am: Hey all! Hope everyone is excited for tomorrow. Reminder that we will be meeting at the Logan Square Monument and try to leave for 930am. If you want to meet up with the ride further north, you're welcome to do so. I'd recommend you meet us where hit the trail at Milwaukee and Devon by 10:15 or so, here: http://goo.gl/maps/lhsZh There are some picnic tables close to the parking lot, figure that would be a better place to wait than Elston.