Cycled home from Stillwater. At Duluth Junction, a nod to the rail trails we were riding, we stopped for a water break. There, we had a nice chat with our photographer: a woman who lives in a seniors’ building and was out for her daily 15-miler.
Category: Move
Cycle to Stillwater for the night
Cycled to Stillwater, off-road trails all the way, taking about four hours. It was scorching hot, but the trails were often shaded, and we cooled off at lunch in a dark dive bar. We’re spending the night in Stillwater, then heading home tomorrow. Here, we’re taking an after-dinner stroll, about to cross the St. Croix River, looking toward Wisconsin.
Lunch in the park
Cycled downriver to Minnehaha Park for lunch. Sea Salt Eatery has a cooked-to-order menu that is quite sophisticated for a park concession. We got the usual: fish tacos, delivered to our table, washed down with a local draft IPA.
My bike’s a screamer
The loud squeak when I apply my front brake is a feature; I’m loath to fix what is probably just a minor misalignment. Today the trail to the fish shop was blocked due to light rail maintenance, forcing me to choose between a busy road and the sidewalk. I chose the sidewalk. The moment I applied the front brake, people practically leapt out of the way. Cycling on the sidewalk is legal in Minneapolis areas zoned residential, but, um… I was definitely in a commercial zone.
A bridge too far
Our objective was a bridge over the BNSF Northtown Yard, a rail yard that stretches for over three miles. It was another heat advisory day, and the weather caught up with me at the bridge as my pedal power faded. My friend, knowing my aversion to hydration, had brought an extra water bottle that worked wonders. I made it back home, but my blood pressure was abnormally low due to dehydration, prompting a firm vow to always carry water from now on.
A Meccano moment
Thought of my dad in the 1920s and myself in the ’50s and ’60s, modeling the world with Meccano. A freight train rumbled overhead as I took shelter under the Short Line Bridge, briefly escaping the sun’s direct rays. Motivating me forward was the promise of fish tacos for lunch at Sea Salt in Minnehaha Park, and the knowledge that today’s extreme heat warning would deter the usual long line snaking out the door.
Prairie in the city
Postponed our usual Sunday morning walk because of lightning and rain. On our now-afternoon walk, a block from home, this native planting meadow was flourishing with help from the morning’s rain. Until a couple years ago, this section of city park land was weedy, cut grass. Now, it delights pollinators and passers-by.
How I ended up in Fridley
My learner texted me to cancel the usual Friday tutoring session because she’d lost her voice. Suddenly, I had a free morning, so I decided to cycle somewhere I hadn’t been before. Spotting this overpass across a huge BNSF rail yard in Fridley on a map, I had to go and investigate. The grain elevators are part of a massive General Mills plant.
Pit stop at Holman Field
The objective of today’s adventure with a friend was Holman Field, a general aviation airport across the Mississippi from downtown St. Paul. It’s named after Northwest Airlines’ first pilot, who died performing stunts. The top picture shows the 1939 terminal where we popped in for a cold beer on a steamy hot day; the staff were incredibly welcoming of two grungy cyclists. The lower picture shows a gate area, where the stairs lead up to a U.S. Customs office.
Density, transit, and trails
On a bike ride to Hopkins with a friend, we stopped to take in this view. The cycle path has been seriously upgraded, separated in this case from the new LRT line, a freight line, and, just beyond, a busy road that crosses the tracks. A dense development is going in, including a commuter parking ramp, commercial space, and a mix of market-rate and affordable apartments. It may not be pretty, but we need more of these dense, brownfield developments near transit.