Category: Minnesota

Cycling Walker, Minnesota

Earlier this month, we drove Up North for a few days of cycling. Giant Muskie, Garrison on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota. At Garrison, on Mille Lacs Lake, we turned left at the Giant Muskie without stopping. Another 80 miles to our destination, Walker, Minnesota. The absurdity of the muskie promoted an earworm. As we approached…… Continue reading Cycling Walker, Minnesota

Projecting Calm

On my cycle ride: bollards projecting calm. Presumably originally installed to protect a ramp for launching small boats from barges, it’s now purely aesthetic. This section of the Mississippi is now closed to barge traffic.

Rock Island Bridge

Did a long cycle ride to beyond southeast St. Paul. Our turnaround point was the Rock Island Swing Bridge that now ends in the middle of the Mississippi, forming a pier. The swing portion has been removed to economically streamline barge traffic.

Heartland Trail

After cycling 20 miles along the Heartland Trail, it was time to enjoy this view then cycle back via a small-town bar for lunch. One of the first rail-trails in the country, it’s an easy ride, no serious climbs, shaded by forest most of the way.

Turn Left at the Giant Walleye

We didn’t stop as we turned left at the giant walleye and continued our journey Up North. We’re staying in a comfortable old hotel by a lake where the Paul Bunyan and Heartland State bicycle trails converge

Remnant of WWII

On my cycle ride: World War II guard tower built to protect a Norden bombsight factory. Today, tenants of the old factory buildings include a distillery and a company that develops LEGO military model kits. (The LEGO Company has a strict policy against selling military models.)

Energy Recovery Center

Cycled past the carefully named Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center where over one-third of our county’s (population 1.3 million) waste is burned and turned into electricity and steam for district heating. More than 11,000 tons of metal are recovered annually.