Luce Line Metric

I spent some quality time on the Luce Line State Trail earlier this week.  I rode from Plymouth to Winsted and back for a total of 65 miles (roughly 104 km).  It was a good day for a ride - hazy sun and clouds, little to no wind, and mild temps.  I saw some interesting wildlife along the way too... butterflies of all sizes and colors, a ton of Goldfinches, two big snapping turtles wrestling in the middle of a pond, and I almost ran into a deer.  Not really, but it was only about 2 feet off the trail, on the edge of the woods, when I rode right by it.

It was the first time in a long, long time that I had ridden with music.  Having an iPod along was a nice addition for this type of ride... long, straight bike path with little traffic.

My first stop was at the Pioneer Creek bridge - one of my favorite spots on the trail.

I'm glad I was able to see some new sections of the trail... you definitely feel like you're out in the country.

I finally pulled in to Winsted, stopped for a snack, some cold Gatorade, a short rest, and headed back the way I came.  

Theo Wirth Out and Back

Another one for my Favorite Routes page.  Rode roughly 23 miles of dirt trail and paved bike path on the fat bike yesterday... from S. Mpls to Theo Wirth Park.

Some of the dirt trails along the creek were pretty overgrown, and there is some fencing to get around due to the construction on the Bryant Ave pedestrian bridge, but the creek trails were as fun as ever.  There are some genuinely tough sections of trail along the creek... mostly tight sections (often with roots) and one really steep downhill.

There is also a bit of trail in Berry Park (between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun) that includes a fun little downhill.

The next dirt trail is Brownie Lake... the toughest little trail in Minnesota.  The trails on the west side of the lake are rough, tight and technical.  They are the type of trails that require you to get behind the seat, which is a rare thing around here.

Note: The fence along the railroad tracks has been replaced so you can no longer get to Brownie Lake from the south.

Next up is the Glenwood Connector trail between Glenwood Ave and Hwy 55.  Another tight little trail with some logs to hop, and it's mostly downhill heading north.

Once you cross Hwy 55 you hit the Theo Wirth Singletrack trails...

And I wasn't the only person riding a fat bike at Theo last night!  I followed fresh Larry/Endomorph tracks around the entire north loop.  Unfortunately I never caught up to the fellow fat bike rider.  After a lap of the Theo trails I headed home, hitting a fun dirt trail downhill near Lyndale Ave in the dark.

All these bits of dirt are interconnected by the Minneapolis paved bike trail system.  Gotta love it.

Riding for the Hell of it...

This week the local brewer of some incredibly great canned beers, Surly (no relation to the bike brand), released their summer seasonal... Hell.  Today they celebrated with a trailer full of beer down at Sea Salt, and I figured a beer or two would make for a nice post-ride reward.

Sea Salt is a great little seafood restaurant located right in Minnehaha Park, just feet from the Minnehaha Falls.  There are few things better than sitting on the patio at Sea Salt enjoying a Surly beer and a fish sandwich on a warm, sunny day.  I'm especially fond of this park since it's where my wife and I got married.

I rode what I call the Big Rivers Loop... a loop that starts at Minnehaha Park and circles the area where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers converge.  The loop can easily be lengthened by continuing either upstream toward downtown Minneapolis or downstream toward downtown St. Paul.  The basic loop is roughly 18 miles.  It is a really nice ride... you spend a fair amount of time in the woods, and the number of people on the trail is usually pretty low.

After the ride I stopped by Sea Salt and got a couple of glasses of Hell.  It really hit the spot.

It was another fantastic summer day spent on the Fargo...

Fargo Update

A couple more changes with the Fargo recently...

First off the second stem/accessory bar is back on.  I got a simple GPS unit to replace the computer and the only good option for mounting it was on the accessory bar.  It's a Garmin eTrex Legend H (which is much cheaper than Garmin's cycling specific models).  It's a very basic unit that gives me all the info my old computer provided, but also records GPS data during my rides.  It has no wires, sensors, or magnets.  Definitely liking it so far.

The GPS unit has led me to create a new blog page here.  I'll be adding to it as I map more of my local routes.

Another change has been with the tires... the Fargo now has a Schwalbe Big Apple 700x50 up front and a Continental Travel Contact 700x37 in back.  Both are actually heavier than the previous knobby tires, but roll much smoother.  I'm really liking both tires so far.

I mentioned the seat tube pack in a previous post, but didn't get into any details at the time.  It's a seat bag that I modified with a clamp that allows it to be mounted directly on the frame or seatpost.  Most small seatbags don't fit on the Thudbuster ST seatpost, and I needed a little bit more space to put my tools.  This worked out perfectly.

The clamp is an E-Type front derailleur mounting clamp.  It's a handy little clamp when trying to rig things to work where they aren't designed to...

Experimentation

Still playing around with the Fargo set-up.  Someday I'll get it to a point where I won't want to mess with it anymore.  The problem is that it's a lot of fun to work on the bike and experiment with different things.  I'm getting it very close to where I want it though...

After my ride through Theo Wirth last week I noticed the rear pack had worked itself loose from its frame.  While the rocks and roots weren't enough to dislodge the pack completely, it goes to show that the rear pack probably isn't suitable for off-road use.

So I'm now trying out the Jandd frame pack.  The frame pack fits my pump, spare tubes, carbon dioxide cartridges, and a few other small items, while the pack behind the seat tube holds all my tools.  I'm thinking this set-up will do a better job of handling rough dirt trails.

I got out for a short ride before polo yesterday.  It's what I call the South Mpls Loop; a quick 18-20 mile loop through South Minneapolis.   It's my favorite quick ride.

And the graffiti art wall along the Greenway (just west of the river) has some really cool stuff.

Babe the Blue Ox?

And a Heavy Metal Paul Bunyan...

Metric Century

I went for a nice ride out to Maple Plain and back yesterday.  From home it ended up being 66 miles (106 km).  That's a lot of miles for me on a 42 lb bike (including tools, food, water, etc.) with relatively fat tires.  I felt pretty good and I finished the ride fairly strong, but the heat started to get to me near the end.  The tailwind on the way home was a godsend.

The route was really nice... Minnehaha Creek - the Lakes - Theo Wirth - Luce Line - Baker Park - Maple Plain.  Of the 66 miles, all but 2 or 3 were on designated bike path.  Gotta love it.

The Fargo set-up changed a little bit recently.  I picked up a new Salsa stem from Hiawatha Cyclery, and got rid of the second stem.  The mount for accessories wasn't really necessary.  I don't really need the bell, the computer mounts out of the way on the center of the J-Bar, and on the rare occasion I'm riding this bike at night, I can just mount lights on the ends of the front extensions.  It makes for a much cleaner look...

I added a 5th bottle cage to store any drinks that I buy along the way.  It's nice to know that I have plenty of water - the four 18 oz bottles provide a little over 2 liters of water.  On long rides where I'm not sure where convenience stores are, it is nice to know I have plenty of water.  But on rides where I know I can get it along the way, I'll likely try and cut some weight by carrying less water.

I also switched to a wireless computer that I had received as a gift a while ago... but I'm not sure how it'll work out in the long run.  The distance between the computer and transmitter is probably a good 6 inches past the recommended length.  The computer still registers a signal, but I worry about the long term reliability.  At some point I will do some research to find a wireless computer with a longer range for taller riders (if it even exists).

I really enjoyed this route.  It had it all... trail winding along the Minnehaha, the crowds of people around the lakes, the Luce Line running from the city through the 'burbs via both pavement and gravel, the beauty of Baker Park, and the small town feel of Maple Plain.

I stopped in Maple Plain and picked up some food and drink at the gas station.  That candy bar and Gatorade really hit the spot.  At some point I'd like to pick up a small, lightweight lock that I could use for quick gas station stops, quick meals, etc.

I even got to hit the Theo Wirth singletrack on the way home...

I might incorporate this route into a 100 mile ride later in the summer, but that will be on a cooler day.  And it'll likely include a longer break for some REAL food.  I rode right by a cool looking little bar in Maple Plain.  The Boddington's sign in the window almost got me to stop and have a beer...

Rides of Summer II

I revisited the MN River Trails yesterday.  This time I came prepared...

Although the sand wasn't as bad as it was earlier this spring, there were times when the fat wheels were put to good use. Every sand trap was totally rideable on the fat bike.  The MN Valley State Trail from Sibley House to 494 is almost entirely rideable on skinny tires.  It is a really pretty section of trail... an old dirt road running under a thick canopy.

After 494 the sand traps became more frequent...

Shortly after the above pic was taken, the trail became part of the river...

The fat tires enabled me to ride down the submerged trail, but after about 20 feet it got too deep.  I was fine with this being my turn-around point since I wanted to play bike polo later that evening.  It was a beautiful day and I was feeling good, so had the trail been passable I probably would have just kept on riding all day...

With all the June rain, the Minnesota River is running really high.  I'm curious much of the trail is flooded... I might try approaching from the Hwy 77 side and see how far I can get.

While stopping to take some pics on the way back, I noticed this little toad.  He was tiny.  And great camouflage... can you find him?

I also stopped by Fort Snelling on the way home.  One of these days I'll remember a flask of whiskey for an honorary pull at Whiskey's grave.  Whiskey was a trick horse and the lead polo horse on Fort Snelling's polo team back in the 1920's.  I'm especially fond of this site given my love of (bike) polo.  There's nothing better than a good polo steed... 

Fort Snelling holds a lot of Minnesota's history, both good and bad.  Especially bad when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans.  It should remind us that a true patriot is a student of our history and works to improve the nation by both atoning for the past and working toward a better future.  

Happy 4th of July!  Hope you all have a great holiday weekend.