November 7, 2003
Oak Leaf Trail, Drexel Avenue Oak Creek-Franklin
Beginning Mileage: 1214.6
Ending Mileage: 1219.1
Total Miles Traveled: 4.5
November 7 was a beautiful, sunny Friday, a seemingly perfect day to go for a bike ride. It was also cold, though I didn't realize quite how cold it was!
I parked the truck on Wildwood Drive (1) in Oak Creek. I rode north to Drexel Avenue, which doubles as the Oak Leaf Trail. East of 13th Street, the trail is classified as an "Off-road Path", but it is actually a sidewalk.
West of 13th Street, Drexel Avenue narrows to a two-lane road (2), with only a narrow strip for a bike lane! Worse, Drexel is a through route, so the traffic is hazardous as well. Come on City of Oak Creek, what can you do to make this stretch of the Oak Leaf Trail more bicycle-friendly??
I crossed 27th Street into the City of Franklin, where Drexel is a much nicer ride, except for the construction associated with the new Northwestern Mutual Insurance building (3) that is being built on the site of the former 41 Twin outdoor theater. (Oh, the memories!! See links below...)
Continuing west, I began to realize that it was way too cold to stay out, so I decided to turn around at the 4300 block of Drexel Avenue (4). As I headed back, I spotted several iced-over ditches (2), illustrating just how cold it was!! Brrrrr!!!
All in all, it wasn't a bad ride, since I rode 4.5 miles, and since I hadn't been on my bike since my injury. Even though I had prepared for the weather, it was just plain too cold for a bike ride! And I hope Oak Creek and Milwaukee County get together in the near future and make Drexel Avenue a safer part of the Oak Leaf Trail.
-Mark
41 Twin Outdoor Theater links:
(will open in new window)
41 Twin historical information
41 Twin photos
41 Twin demolition
41 Twin Historical Marker