A Perfect Fall Day

Today I connected 3 of my favorite rides... the South Mpls Loop, the Big Rivers Loop, and part of the MN River Loop.  It made for a very nice 40 mile ride on a perfect fall day.  I started out by taking the Minnehaha Creek to the Chain of Lakes, where I stopped to watch some Bike Ball near Lake Calhoun.  Bike Ball looks fun, but it's not quite as exciting to watch as hardcourt bike polo...

I then headed up to Lake of the Isles, and was lucky enough to spot Minnie...

Once I snapped a quick photo of Minnie, I hopped on the Midtown Greenway toward the Mississippi River...

I then headed south along the Mississippi River.  The trees near the Ford Bridge are gorgeous right now... 

I took the Ford Bridge across the Mississippi and dropped down into the Hidden Falls/Crosby Farm trail system.  I crossed the river again on the 35E bike path and headed upstream on the Big Rivers Regional Trail.  At Mendota I got off the paved trails and hit the MN Valley State Trail... which just might be my favorite trail in the entire metro area.

At 494 I got off the MN Valley Trail, connected back to the Big Rivers Trail and followed it to the Mendota Bridge.  Once across the river, the Fort Snelling trail system brought me to Minnehaha Falls Park, the creek, and eventually home.

It's my birthday later this week and I wanted to get out for a nice fall ride... kind of an early present to myself.  It ended up being just what I wanted.  The temperature was right around 65, the winds were light, the sunshine was nonstop, and I got to ride through a wide variety of terrain and scenery.  I love the fact that I can go from a busy urban setting to being out in the middle of the woods far from anyone in such a short amount of time, and it's all connected by bike paths.

I plan to get out for another birthday ride next weekend, and I'm hoping that this gorgeous fall weather sticks around for a while.  It's true I'm looking forward to winter, but I'm not ready to see fall go just yet.

Stopping can be as much fun as riding...