Run 126 - East of the Zoo

October 6, 2023

It’s Friday so a 5 mile run is on the menu.  I looked at my master map and scoped out an area that needed some running and designed a route that took care of at least one road I’d been dreading: Hesper between Shilo and Gabel due to the lack of a shoulder.  It was cool out, about 38 degrees, so the first time I’ve run with gloves in a while.

A real downside to this route is that it is almost all on very busy streets.  That adds risk and noise to what should otherwise be a pleasant run.  Below, is the concrete plant on Shilo.

Looking south on Shilo.

The BBWA canal which will be drained next week.

The new Costco under construction.  The rubes are really excited about its opening.

I turned off Shilo on Pierce across from Meadowlark Brewing.

This is the entrance to the zoo,

I had to run on Zoo Drive back to Shilo and there was a sidewalk part of the way.

I’m now back to Zoo Drive at Gabel and am turning south to go across I-90.

Another new hotel.

My map showed me turning around when I was over the freeway but continued down to Frontage Road.

Not much of a should along Gabel from Zoo to Hesper.

Looking west on Hesper.

The BBWA canal where it goes under Hesper.  I’m almost out of the narrow stretch.

The map showed me running an out and back on Temple but it turns out to be a private road and not much more than a church parking lot so I skipped it.

I made it back without getting run over, except for a close call when crossing over the freeway, so I call it a good run.

Run 125 - S Billings Blvd and Frontage Road

October 2, 2023

I decided to switch my long run days from Tuesdays to either Mondays or Thursdays so today I set up a route that would be the best of 9 miles and deal with some streets I haven’t been looking forward too.  South Billings Blvd is, once south of King Ave., a really busy and high speed road. The Frontage road is almost as bad and neither has much in the way of sidewalks.  

I started at Riverfront Park and went across the Yellowstone River to the other side of the bridge.  I don’t know if I knew that the bridge had a name but I do now.

Heading north on S. Billings Blvd.

I turned east on Frontage Road and ran past some businesses before doing  an out and back on Micro Court and then turning on Orchard and running through this large trailer park.

I got back Frontage Road and continued east.

Another out and back, this one on Intermountain.  That’s Riverfront Park across that field.

 

There are two large warehouses being build here.  It’s led to lots of speculation as to who might be moving in.

I made it to the south end of Sugar which is where I turned around and went back the way I came.

It used to be possible to access th east end of Riverfront Park from the old Washington Bridge street but that’s been taken over by a business and it’s now fenced.  However, this gravel road goes parallel to it.  There is a canal behind that fence on the right and I know that there is a small bridge across it up by those trees but when I got there I also found a new bridge.

This is the east end of the new paved trail that was installed along the north border of the park.

Below, this is the old road that went to the now removed Washing Street bridge across the Yellowstone River.  It was dedicated to Bill Dutcher and you can barely make out the monument in the weeds.

I have mixed feeling about paving what used to be dirt trails but I don’t want to stand in the way of progress and I think this is a link in the Marathon Loop, a bike trail that supposed to go around the entire city.

Cochran Pond in Riverfront Park.

My find of the day was a roll of green electrical tape.

A new Boy Scout project in the park.

I didn’t get 9 miles but got close enough to it.