Posted Wildflowers and Participatory Games.
Category: Urban Hike and Bike
Wildflowers and Participatory Games
I usually take some snapshots when I explore on my bicycle. A few times in the past couple weeks I’ve found the foreground to be just as interesting as the thing I wanted to photograph. Wildflowers A friend and I were cycling back and forth through an industrial area of St. Paul’s St. Anthony Park.… Continue reading Wildflowers and Participatory Games
An Atlas Obscura Walk in Chicago
Guide books often funnel people to over-loved places. Atlas Obscura, “the definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders,” is a good resource to locate uncrowded, off-beat places to spice up a walk. The information is crowd-sourced, so it needs to be treated with caution. For example, a “machine gun nest” near our home is simply… Continue reading An Atlas Obscura Walk in Chicago
Lake of the Isles: Always Something New
I’ve walked, jogged, and cycled around Lake of the Isles over 10,000 times in the 40 years I’ve lived in Minneapolis. Each time I’ve circled the lake, it has been a different experience. For most of the year, walkers take the inner path, while cyclists ride the outer path. In warmer weather, people set up… Continue reading Lake of the Isles: Always Something New
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9 is one of the “lesser” bridges connecting the east and west sides of Minneapolis across the Mississippi. The bridge is significant for its configuration as a deck truss, which is a rare truss type in [Minnesota], and innovative reuse of 1885 pin-connected deck truss spans that were reinforced in 1922… Continue reading Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9
MSP Terminal 1 by Bicycle
Today I did my annual bike ride to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MSP. On previous rides to the airport, I’ve visited Terminal 2. This time I wanted to take my bicycle to Terminal 1. However, it’s not possible to cycle to Terminal 1 without running afoul of the law. MSP has two terminals: Terminal 1-Lindbergh, with 117… Continue reading MSP Terminal 1 by Bicycle
Fall Reflections
Cycled past reflections in the Mississippi: emerging Fall colors and the University of Minnesota Medical Center – East Bank.
Minneapolis Bronze Statues
Yesterday, I went cycling with my friend, Dave, as we do every week in the warmer months. Sometimes we cycle a loop, sometimes we pick a theme, sometimes we meander. On Dave’s suggestion we went in search of Minneapolis bronze statues. We met next to the baseball park at Target Field light rail station. Dave… Continue reading Minneapolis Bronze Statues
Journey to the House of Balls
White paint traced the black lines of the graffiti letters on the concrete of a freeway overpass spanning the Cedar Lake Trail: a failed cover-up. I imagined a subversive city worker performing the cleanup: “F*** you Mitch McConnell” was still visible, white on gray. “Images hiding in plain sight” was my theme for the day. I… Continue reading Journey to the House of Balls
Finding Traces of Henry David Thoreau’s 1861 Visit to Minneapolis
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, built 1854-1857, with later additions. In May 1861, Henry David Thoreau visited Minneapolis. He was terminally ill, and would die within a year. I found myself wondering if there are any traces of places or institutions Thoreau would have seen or visited. There is very little contemporaneous documentation about his visit to Minneapolis:… Continue reading Finding Traces of Henry David Thoreau’s 1861 Visit to Minneapolis