Our neighborhood izakaya, Zen Box, is closing, sending me on a quest for decent replacement ramen. Today’s nameless stop scored a 2/10. It was supposed to be tonkotsu; the broth had the color, but none of the required texture or flavor. I took a photo, but here’s something more palatable: new copper catenary for a light rail extension, which I saw while cycling to that nameless place.
Category: Move
Fading colors
The trees of Gold Medal Park were starting to look threadbare as we headed out for our Sunday morning walk. Occasional gusts of wind sent leaves flying. All reminders of the inevitability of winter and motivation to do some planning for winter travel.
Hopkins to Excelsior round-trip
Cycled on a rail trail from Hopkins to Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka with a friend. At 318 Cafe in Excelsior, we refueled with coffee and the best ever apple coffee cake, warm from the oven. Energized, we cycled back to Hopkins.
Meeting our shadows on a bridge
On our Sunday morning walk, the low sun drew out long shadows, bringing to mind Haruki Murakami’s exploration of the subject. I’d recently read both “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” and its core-story reworking, “The City and its Uncertain Walls.” In both novels, the protagonist is detached from his shadow, making me wonder: how long would it actually take me to realize mine was gone?
A lot to admire
Cycled with a friend to St. Paul. Stopped at Cosetta’s where we admired their enormous display of cakes and pastries, and selected a couple for ourselves. Followed the Mississippi on the return and admired the fall colors.
Luce Line State Trail ride
Cycled part of the Luce Line with a friend, starting at Theodore Wirth Park and going to Medicine Lake. A circumnavigation of Medicine Lake added more mileage than we bargained for. Here, we’re cycling a boardwalk across wetland. The rail track is on a trestle. Later, my friend sent me a map showing we covered significantly more ground on a similar ride back in 2021. I guess we’re not exactly spring chickens anymore!
Straight-through hike via Poplar River viewpoint
Our brother-in-law joined us for today’s hike. By dropping a car at our Lutsen finish point, we were able to hike straight-through instead of doing a loop. This section of the Superior Hiking Trail first took us along Lake Agnes, a body of water largely created by a beaver dam. From there, we headed uphill to great viewpoints, including one of my favorite views, shown here, looking toward the Poplar River.
Two-river loop
Hiked a loop: Cross River on the ascent, a wooded ridge trail with glimpses of Lake Superior, then Temperance River on the descent.
Lutsen Mountains hike
Fortified by GORP we hiked a moderately energetic loop starting at the lodge where we’re staying in Lutsen’s ski area. Here, early in the hike, we crossed the Poplar River. If you squint, you can just see Lake Superior in the distance.
Split Rock River hike
Hiked up one side of Split Rock River, improvised a river crossing (the bridge was out), then hiked back down the other side. Here, towards the end of our hike, this split rock is possibly the origin of the river’s name. Behind, the river flows through a gorge. And overhead the blue sky promises to hold for the next few days.