Chatted with a man who was sticking arrows to the trail. He explained that the arrows marked alternative cycling routes for the American Diabetes Association “Tour de Cure” tomorrow. There are four routes: 5 miles, 27 miles, 50 miles, and 72 miles.
Category: Cycle
A Cyclist’s Oasis
Even my phone overheated while cycling through Nordeast Minneapolis. Finding relief, I took a quick break in Surdyk’s walk-in beer cooler. A six-pack of Bauhaus Lounge Wizard in my backpack kept my back cool on the journey home.
Cognitive Itch*
Spotted an octopus’s garden on my cycle ride. My earworm for the rest of the ride was inevitable: I’d like to be\…\In an octopus’s garden\In the shade. (*Cognitive itch: the cause of an earworm.)
Plan B
Met a friend over coffee in St. Paul. The heavens opened as I started to cycle home, so I made a beeline for the nearest light rail station. Conveniently, each train car has two upright bike racks.
Spring Bike Ride
Cycled a loop via the 28th Street Greenway, Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Creek, then up the Mississippi. Stopped to view the blossom on this section just before Lake Nokomis. In the final stretch, we were ready for a late lunch at Longfellow Grill.
Money Machine
On my random cycle ride, the popular Giant Slide at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds was about to get a fresh coat of paint. At $3 per ride, it generates about $600,000 in revenue during the twelve days of the annual fair.
Good Karma
Fair weather prompts cycling, not walking, and allows me to rediscover faraway cafes. Carma Cafe is across the road from Good Carma Auto Repair.
Always Something New
On my cycle ride, spotted changes that had occurred over the winter. Apartment buildings were popping up, a traffic circle eliminated the need for traffic lights. Here, a crew is dropping off clips that will fasten rails to railroad ties for the Green Line LRT extension.
Protected Bikeways
Looked for changes that have been made to Minneapolis over the winter. Here, the downtown Hennepin Avenue protected bikeway is now complete. The street that runs past our building will get a similar upgrade.
Spring Spin
Pumped up the tires, lubed the chain, and reacquainted myself with a favorite urban route. Avoided puddles and potholes and piles of snow. With temperatures climbing towards 60° it felt good to be out.