Play in the City : Hydro-biking on Juneau Park Lagoon

I found myself in awe of the juxtaposition of nature and city life found in Milwaukee when I moved to the lower East Side. I love how I can wakeup in the morning and bike along the Oak Leaf Trail, spend the afternoon sailing on Lake Michigan, and then relax by shopping, dining or just bar-hopping the night away on North Avenue and Brady Street while never straying far from my home.

Downtown Milwaukee has definitely been shaped by the industries that built the city – from the steel and iron mills to meat packing plants and breweries. But the construction of the lakefront has a different history – in the 1920s, the city had the novel idea to unite people and nature. This is why today trails and roadways, not factories, skirt the lake and make the lakefront the perfect spot to take part in peaceful outdoor activities.

We may not have Navy Pier or flourishing green precincts like the Chicago Park District, or the white sand and turquoise waters of the Caribbean, but it doesn't matter. Our lakefront has a lot to offer as it provides Milwaukee citizens and visitors alike with plenty of activities that make for a great escape without traveling hours away from the city.

As a matter of fact, just north of Veteran's Park near the lakefront, the Juneau Park Paddleboats Company offers three perfect ways for Milwaukeeans to getaway from the stirring city life to unwind – hydro-bikes, paddleboats, or radio-controlled sailboats are what I’m talking about.

The hydro-bikes and other activities are located in the Juneau Park Lagoon at Veteran's Park. (Juneau Park is just off the shore of Lake Michigan and along North Lincoln Memorial Drive.) Until this time, I hadn’t actually seen a hydro-bike and even though I didn’t know what to expect, I wanted to try one out.

I knew if I didn’t take advantage of this now when the weather allows for it, I’d regret it come January. If you've been like me and you've been putting it off, then you better hurry up because the opportunity is coming to a close (the boats are available this month, but come October they're only available if weather permits and of course you never can count on Wisconsin weather, right John Malan?

According to the rules of Juneau Park Paddleboats, Inc. either a valid driver's license or a state I.D. is required as a deposit, life jackets are provided and must be worn by all passengers, parental consent is needed for anyone under age 16, and children must be at least one year of age in order to ride a hydro-bike. They did make us wear life jackets... although I don't remember being carded.

Eric and I chained our bikes to the bike rack, strolled up to the stand and were warmly greeted by the Paddleboats staff who then had us sign a waiver as they collected our $10 fee. I was thrilled to learn that both single and double passenger bikes were available. I wanted to get a tandem bike with Eric so that we could tour the lagoon cutting over waves together, or better yet, I could coax him into doing most of the pedaling. (Ha.) Although after I discovered his desire for chasing the ducks and geese that reside in the pond I might choose to go solo next time.

We secured our orange lifejackets that fit us snuggly (you are only required to wear lifejackets when on the hydro-bikes), and then shuffled onto the wooden dock that penetrated the picturesque Juneau Park Lagoon. At this time, final modifications were made to the height of our seats so our 30 minute ride would be comfortable. Then, we were briefed on how to operate the bikes, which I already knew would be a piece of cake.

Interestingly, the hydro-bikes didn’t look the way I imagined – I envisioned a Big Wheel like the one I road as a toddler, but they were actually built around a sturdy aluminum bicycle frame mounted on a pair of 10-foot long catamaran style pontoons.

I put my purse into the basket secured on the handlebars as Eric and I began to pedal forward (a steel chain drive spins a propeller down below). I felt surprisingly stable on the water as we pedaled from the dock to the middle of the tree-lined lagoon.

I read earlier that couples find hydro-bikes to be great “relationship builders” especially on the tandem bikes. Even though I thought that statement was a bit ridiculous, I understood. Eric and I had to work as a team to pedal at an agreeable speed and to steer with our handle bars simultaneously. (Feuding couples would be going in circles; thankfully both of us are pretty even-tempered.)

As we maneuvered our tandem hydro-bike, we played chicken with half a dozen paddleboats that were carrying families of three and four who took a quick spin and plied the lilting waters of the serene lagoon. I snapped photos along the way, but clutched my new digital camera by the string tightly because if I lost my grip, the camera would plunge into the murky water forever.

While putting around the pond Eric and I reminisced about all of the entertaining things we did this summer – the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts, the Locust Street Festival, Summerfest, Battle of the Chefs, Jazz in the Park, State Fair, plus so much more – and how much we’ll miss weather like last weekend (although both of us agreed that we are looking forward to the upcoming holiday season – a favorite time for us.) We also discussed the many things we hope to squeeze in before the weather gets too cold – kayaking, fishing, hiking, Surrey biking, the zoo, and so on.

While our conversation kept moving, so did our bike. Hydro-bikes definitely go faster than the paddleboats, although they aren’t quite as relaxing – we were actually dripping with sweat when we got off.

The hydro-bikes were surprisingly more exhausting than we thought they were going to be. While pedaling the hydro-bike is no more difficult than a regular bike, it isn't as smooth and you find you legs constantly accelerating then stopping. The pedaling translates into about 2.5 miles of travel in 30 minutes, which, for those of you counting, burns about 250 calories (if my math is correct).

Evidently if you ride a hydro-bike regularly it provides an easy and great way to stay fit – even though I can’t do this everyday, the sweat that dripped from my forehead assured me that my body was working hard.

We couldn't pedal for more than about 10 minutes without needing to slow down, sometimes propping our feet on top of the pontoon base to regain our strength.

Fortunately the city looks gorgeous from the lagoon, so we simple enjoyed the view while we rested our weary legs. Even though we probably seem like weenies, it actually was an ideal way to take in the views as we drifted along.

It was evident that the Juneau Park Lagoon is one of the most beautiful spots in Milwaukee. As we pedaled around the water, Lincoln Memorial Drive peeked through the cracks in the wall of trees that lined the lagoon. We watched while cars coasted past and pedestrians walked, ran or rollerbladed on the sidewalk beyond the awning of foliage and observed the apartment buildings on Prospect Avenue that jutted out from the treetops and framed the wetland. There’s no view like it in the city!

Time flew by until our 30 minutes were up. We steered our tandem bike back to the dock where another couple was waiting for their turn.

Hydro-bikes, paddleboats, and RC sailboats can be rented from 10 a.m. until sunset seven days a week, weather permitting, May through October.

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Juneau Park Paddleboats, Inc.
Veteran's Park Lagoon
3609 N. Tucker Place, Milwaukee, WI 53222
Open daily 10 a.m. - Sunset, May - Oct.
$5 per person for a half-hour

Comments

Last year I was the same way, I kept wanting to go on a paddleboat in the lagoon all summer. When I'd run on the streets around Veterans Park it reminded me of my desire. Finally on Labor Day weekend, I rented a paddleboat with my cousins and really enjoyed the views and half hour ride around the lagoon.

Posted by: Amanda | September 07, 2007 at 10:00 AM